Players are drawn in "groups" with other players of the same LTA rating. Each group normally contains four  players. The winners of the two first round matches play against in other in the second round. Similarly the runners-up in the first two matches play each other in the second round.

Where there are only three players in a group, a round-robin format may be used. This means that each player player all others in the group in order to ensure that everyone takes part in two matches. Other draw formats may be used too. Special draw formats are used in events where five or six players are accepted.

In a normal matchplay event, players will normally play two matches in each event. If we are unable to offer you two matches through no cause of your own, we will refund 50% of your entry fee (conditions apply).

Players accepted for ONEMATCH events play just ONE match per event.

Matches using these format count as full three set matches for the purposes of LTA ratings calculations  The programme organiser ensures that all results are submitted to the LTA.

In exceptional circumstances, abbreviated scoring methods may be used.

This is not decided until the closing date and time and depends on court availability and whether any other events are running on the same evening. Acceptances are usually made in units of 4 players, (although in some cases a group may contain 3, 5,  6 or 7 players using an alternative draw format). 

This is difficult to tell as it depends on the length of matches, available courts, any other events running at the venue at the same time and the draw format used. When making an application to an event, you are committing to play all matches as arranged, until released by the referee. As a general guideline, most players can expect to be at an event for between 4 and 6 hours. Players accepted for ONEMATCH events will generally be on-site for a shorter period as they only play one match.

Rest periods can vary too. In some cases when an event is undersubscribed and matches progress quickly, the waiting period can be quite short. At a very busy event, the time between rounds may be 1-2 hours, or more. If a round-robin format is adopted for a particular group, as only an even number of the participants can be playing at any one time, the wait between rounds can be in excess of 3 hours, if you are scheduled to play in the first and the third match in the group.

Before submitting an application. please bear in mind that events starting in the afternoon may continue until late into the evening. Play for some participants in evening events may extend to (or occasionally beyond) 11:00pm.

Yes - this is actively encouraged.

You are allowed to apply for two or more events at the same day within the TennisUK One-Day Event Programme although it is NOT possible to express a preference for a particular event/venue. You must be prepared to play at any event/venue applied for, if selected. Also, once you have been accepted for an event then it is not possible to swap to another event on the same day. You will never be selected to play in more than one event on the same day.

Remember, it is rarely possible to accept all applications for each event. Applying for events at multiple venues (and/or applying for more than one event at the same venue on a particular day) may increase your chances of acceptance.

You should NOT enter any other LTA sanctioned event or tournament running on the same day, unless you withdraw from all bit one by the published deadlines. Sanctions will be imposed on accepted players withdrawing from an event after the published cancellation deadline. This applies even if both competitions are managed by TennisUK.

Unfortunately, no. These are separate one-day competitions and you should only apply for events on ONE of the days if this is your preference. Selections for events taking place on consecutive days (such as events taking place on Saturdays and Sundays) are usually made simultaneously.

If you are accepted to play over more than one day and then cancel your application after acceptance to one event, then withdrawal penalties will apply and the entry fee will be forfeited.

No. All  matches in the programme will be against others of the SAME rating.

We check all player ratings each Tuesday, shortly before the selections are made. If your rating changes after this time, then it will have no effect on an event taking place that weekend.

Players in this situation are commited to playing in the event and will face withdrawal penalty points if they withdraw.

With the number of players competing in the programme we cannot undertake to segregate players from the same family, squad, county or club. 

This would also contravene the principle of a randomly made draw. If two or more players are of the same rating, there is every possibility that they could be drawn in the same group and even play one other. Whilst we plot ratings positions in the draw manually, the allocation of players to each 'ratings position' is done entirely randomly by computer.

If you apply for an event and there are no (or very few) other players of your rating, then you will not be accepted for that event.

We show the rating on our records within the LTA Registration Details of your personal profile.

If this is incorrect or your rating changes, our website is normally updated within 4 hours of the change being made by the LTA. However, if your rating changes and you have already been accepted for an event then this will not be updated until AFTER the event has taken place and your new rating will NOT be taken into account for the event for which you have already been accepted. This is because tournament organisers are obliged to use your rating in force as at the application/cancellation deadline.

We will of course use your new rating for any future events where selections have not already been made.

You do not need to cancel and reapply for events following a rating change. This may in fact reduce your chances of selection as entry date and time is one of the factors used to determine acceptances.

This is impossible to determine. In some events, no reserves are used. In others, we may call upon many. As a general rule however, if your reserve number is very high, then the chances are smaller that if you are (say) 1st reserve.

As soon as we receive notification from another player confirming their inability to play, we shall do the following:

More than 24 hours before the start time of the event: We shall update the acceptance list on our website and include the next player on the reserve list. We shall send out a confirmation email although it is each player's responsibility to check the website up to 24 hours before the start of the event as we cannot guarantee the delivery of emails. Do remember that you must cancel from the reserve list prior to notification of acceptance if you no longer wish to play. You DO NOT have the option of cancelling without penalty once you are accepted from the reserve list even if you contact us immediately.

Less than 24 hours before the start time of the event: We shall telephone the next player on the reserve list and invite them to play. Players are not obliged to accept any place offered to them and may freely decline without charge or penalty. If we are not able to make direct contact by telephone then we will approach other players on the reserve list according to their reserve number. The first player to provide a positive response will be accepted. We shall not normally leave messages, particularly is a player is needed at short notice.

The selection process is very complex. A late application for a popular event may still be accepted, even if the application is made shortly prior to the application deadline.

You are free to cancel provided we receive your instruction to cancel prior to the published application/cancellation deadline. There is no charge or penalty for doing this and there is no limit to the number of cancellations you may make. You may view a list of all events applied for by logging on to our website and clicking on the "My Events Applications" tab within your personal profile.

You may cancel any application by clicking on the "Cancel from this event" link or by telephoning us, provided you do this BEFORE the published cancellation deadline.

Cancellations are accepted on the understanding that it is your responsibility to check that we have received and acknowledged your request prior to the cancellation deadline. We will normally send you an automated e-mail confirming your cancellation. However, we strongly recommend that players/parents do NOT communicate cancellations by e-mail, in case of delay or non-delivery.

Late cancellations are dealt with as withdrawals. Entry fees are not refunded and automatic suspension points are imposed by the LTA, the accumulation of which may lead to a player being suspended from taking part in ALL LTA events and tournaments. Please note that the acceptance lists for events are compiled, immediately following the application/cancellation deadlines.

If you accidentally make a late application to an event where the cancellation deadline has passed, our website will not allow you to cancel online. In this situation you must inform us of the accidental application WITHIN 10 MINUTES of the entry being made in which case you will not be charged or incur LTA withdrawal penalty points. After this time, if you are accepted then you will be liable for the entry fee and LTA withdrawal penalty points will be applied.

No! It is the responsibility of each player (or parent) to ensure that WE have received your cancellation request prior to the published cancellation deadline. In the case of PC or internet difficulties then you should telephone us prior to the deadline, if you are in any doubt over whether your cancellation request has been received. We strongly recommend that cancellations are NOT made by e-mail, in case of delay or non-delivery.

We acknowledge all cancellation requests prior to the published cancellation deadline for each event and will not consider a late cancellation request if a player has been accepted to play WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. Please remember that when cancelling via our website, you must finalise the cancellation process BEFORE the published deadline (e.g. 4:00pm Tuesday). We do not accept responsibility for slow internet connections, mistyped passwords or other delays which result in a player missing the deadline. If you are having difficulty in getting online then you should telephone us before the deadline.

Please note that any emails sent to us after 4:00pm on a Tuesday are not seen or attended to until Wednesday morning (the same applies to any voicemail messages left). Late cancellations are dealt with as withdrawals. Entry fees are not refunded and LTA penalty points are AUTOMATICALLY imposed on players, if they have been accepted to play, even if you have missed the deadline by a short margin.

Draws are made and players are accepted in groups, immediately following the published application/cancellation deadlines. It can take several hours for the acceptance lists to appear on our website whilst the selection process is in progress although this does NOT extend the cancellation deadline (cancellation emails and voicemails left after 4:00pm on Tuesday are not received by us until Wednesday morning anyway). When the acceptance list is published, if you have been accepted then you will be penalised as a withdrawal if you are no longer able to play. 

Under LTA regulations, once accepted, you are expected to play and be fit enough to take part in TWO matches. unless you are ill, injured or are unable to do so as a result of a serious and unforeseen emergency (such as a death in the family).

If you are unable to play, you must let us know as soon as possible BY TELEPHONING (0333 247 9819). After 4.00pm on Friday evenings your call will be routed to the referee in charge of the event. If you are taking part in more than one event, then it is important that the referee for EACH event is informed. You must also make sure that we receive and acknowledge your withdrawal. For this reason ask that players/parents DO NOT communicate withdrawals by e-mail or fax. If you withdraw by e-mail/fax and your communication is not read in time (or not received), you will be penalised as a non-appearance'. E-mails/faxes are not usually attended to at the weekends.

The impact of withdrawals can have an adverse effect on events and other players. In some cases, a withdrawal can result in up to three other players being cancelled from an event. We therefore ask that withdrawals are communicated to us as soon as possible and not left to the day of an event, when it is often impossible to bring in reserves.

All players who withdraw from events incur LTA penalty points, the accumulation of which can lead to suspension from all official competitions. Click here to find out more about this.

Players who withdraw during an event shall incur 3 penalty points under the LTA’s Withdrawal Points suspension system. Any player who fails to appear for their 2^nd or subsequent match shall incur 5 penalty points.

Suspension points are NOT however incurred where a player RETIRES from a match in progress, only where a player withdrawals from a match before it has started or between rounds.

For full details of the LTA penalty system, click here.

It is the responsibility of each player (or parent) to find out if they have been accepted and, if so, their reporting time. You should not rely on receiving a confirmation email - many automated emails are blocked by internet service providers or spam filters. If you apply for events at more than one venue, then it is your responsibility to be at the correct centre.

In all cases, if you are accepted for an event and do not communicate your decision to withdraw in advance, you will be recorded as a 'non-appearance' ('No show'). Non-appearances disrupt events considerably and in an extreme case, can result in up to three other players being sent home without playing.

'Communicate' means letting the event referee of your decision to withdraw in advance and making sure that he/she has acknowledged your withdrawal.

If your withdrawal is received after the time you have been asked to attend (your reporting time), this will also be considered as a 'non-appearance'. For this reason, you must not withdraw by e-mail, as this may not be read until after the event.

A player who plays his/her first match and then fails to return for the 2nd match, without notification, shall also be recorded as a 'non-appearance'. All players must return to the control desk at the end of each match to ascertain if and when they are playing again.

Entry fees are forfeited in all cases where a player fails to appear for an event and 5 withdrawal penalty points are automatically imposed by the LTA.

You should inform the person inviting you to play that you are already committed to another event and cannot therefore accept the invitation. If you do not do this and withdraw in order to take part in the other competition you will be recorded as an withdrawal, forfeit the entry fee and incur withdrawal points.

If you are on a reserve list for another tournament, then you should contact the organiser and cancel your place as soon as you are accepted for a matchplays.com event. Withdrawing from one event to accept a place in another is unfair on other players who do commit and is not acceptable. 

Regrettably not. The programme comprises many evening events which include late play and this is one of the acceptance conditions. The events may not therefore be suitable for everyone, particularly younger players.

Where an event includes several age groups, we do aim to start the FIRST round matches for younger age groups earlier. However we cannot guarantee the starting times of 2nd round matches which largely depend on the total number of players as a whole, the length of matches and court availability. At a very busy event there may be an interval of 2 hours of more, between rounds.

Younger players are advised NOT to enter Men's and Ladies Open events, especially if they have school the next day - as these can finish very late in the evening. It is not usual for final matches to finish around 11:00pm (and sometimes later). For this reason, our Open events are hidden from view when a player under the age of 14 logs onto our website. These can be shown by un-ticking the "hide open events" box within the list of events.

In fairness to all players in Open events, requests to prioritise matches involving younger players ahead of others will not be granted.

Unless an event is cancelled then regardless of weather conditions - you should report for play at the time you have been asked to do so. The decision as to the playability of courts, scheduling of matches and any decision to curtail or abandon an outdoor event is at the sole discretion of the event referee. Any decision to cancel will not be made until the day of an event.

In the event of bad weather, this may involve considerable delays. Any player who is not prepared to wait or follow the directions of the event referee will receive LTA withdrawal penalty points.

If we are not able to offer you a minimum of two matches, then a proportionate refund will be made. No refund will be made to any player who fails to attend the event, withdraws at any stage or leaves without the approval of the referee, regardless of whether any play takes place or not.

It may be necessary to abandon matches which have not been completed within the allotted court booking. Court bookings vary from centre to centre. Players should continue playing until directed to stop. Regrettably, unfinished matches will not count towards players ratings although a part refund will be made to both players involved. We will try to avoid this happening as far as possible, although the final decision rests with the event referee and the duty manager at the centre concerned.

The event referee may at his/her sole discretion decide that it is too late to start a match and there is no realistic chance of achieving a result. In this case a part refund will be made to the players concerned.

We plan the programme to minimize the risk of unfinished matches. For this reason, we must adopt a rigid approach with players arriving late and also insist that the five minute warm-up period prior to each match is strictly adhered to.

Yes, although you are responsible for their conduct at the venue. Please note that viewing facilities vary from venue to venue.

When selections are made, all players within the same ratings group will generally be given the same reporting time. If the number of players changes to an even number then the reporting times will stand. If not then the referee will select one player at random and advise them to come later. This will normally be done on the morning of the event (or on the previous evening for an event starting before 12:00 noon). However,  if we receive a late withdrawal then it may not be possible to provide any notice. We regret that is not possible to request to play earlier (or later).

Please note that the order of matches with a round robin group is at the discretion of the referee. If you are due to play in the 1st and 3rd round then this may mean a long wait between  matches. Referees will however try to prioritise players in round robin groups where possible over other matches at the event.

We will make every effort to contact you if your reporting time materially changes from that published. 

No. Players will be expected to play in an event even if this means playing just one match (i.e. if the number of players in a ratings groups falls to two). This is covered in our entry conditions.

We will try to avoid this scenario as far as possible and never plan an event where players only take part in a single match (other than in our ONEMATCH events). However, we cannot legislate for withdrawals after the selections have been made, injuries incurred during play nor other unforeseen circumstances. It is worth bearing in mind that we may receive a late entry from a player of suitable rating which will allow us to plan two matches for each player.

Remember that a 50% refund of your entry fee is made if we are unable to offer you two matches through no fault of your own (a full refund in made if your opponent withdraws from a ONEMATCH event). No refunds are however made to players who withdraw regardless of how many matches they may have played in the event had they not withdrawn.

In addition, players who only play one match in an event (through no cause of their own) receive credits under our "Matchplay History Grading" system which may help improve their chances of selection for future events in the ensuing eight week period.

Yes, we ensure that all results are counted for ratings purposes and that they are submitted in time.

In normal circumstances, results are submitted on the MONDAY immediately following the event.

You can however view your results from OUR website by logging in and clicking on the "Matchplay Results" tab of your personal profile. In most cases these will appear within 48 hours of the event.

Any queries regarding results from the TennisUK Matchplays programme should be address to ourselves and not directly to the LTA.

LTA rules for grade 6 competitions state that only ONE result against the same player will count in any one ratings re-assessment. This DOES NOT APPLY to the TennisUK matchplays.com programme and all results against the same opponent ARE eligible to the counted for ratings purposes.

The LTA introduced this rule to stop players increasing their rating by taking part in internal competitions (box leagues, matchplays etc) at their clubs and playing fellow club members on numerous occasions in the same ratings period. The TennisUK matchplays.com programme is considered as an external competition and is therefore exempt from this rule.

If the event is still accepting applications, you should immediately re-apply for the event and then email us with the name of the player, British Tennis Membership number and the event code, explaining that you cancelled in error.

Normally, if you cancel and reapply for an event, your entry date and time is reset to the time that you re-apply. However, provided you re-apply IMMEDIATELY, then we may consider re-instating the entry date and time back to the date and time you originally applied. This is however entirely at our discretion and we will not likely do this if there is a delay of more than 10 minutes minutes between cancelling and re-applying or another player has applied in the intervening period.

If the event is closed for applications then we will not reinstate a player if someone else has been accepted in your place - or the reserve list has been renumbered.,

Unless you are contacted to the contrary, you should assume that the event will take place. 

We do expect players and parents to put their own safety first and if you are unable to get to the event then please telephone the referee on 0333 247 9819 and explain the circumstances. Do not send emails as our office is normally closed at the weekend.

If the event is cancelled, will I be told?

If I withdraw after the withdrawal deadline due to adverse weather conditions will I receive penalty points?

Yes. However players can appeal the points by emailing the LTA – we have been told that each case will be considered on an individual basis. You should receive an email from the LTA advising that penalty points have been incurred by the Wednesday following the event. This email details the appeal process. Please remember that tournament organisers have no discretion over the imposition of LTA withdrawal points – they are beyond the jurisdiction of event referees and TennisUK.

Will I get a refund if I withdraw (after the cancellation deadline) because of adverse weather conditions?

No.  A player will only receive a refund if the event is cancelled AND the player has not withdrawn prior to the decision to cancel the event. 

If other players withdraw and this affects the number of matches I play, will I receive a refund?

Yes. Provided you do not withdraw from an event then if we are unable to offer you the stipulated minimum number of matches through no cause of your own, then a proportionate entry fee refund is made. If no matches are possible then the entry fee will be refunded in full.

Will cancelled events be rearranged?

No. The calendar of events is arranged several months in advance and finding a suitable alternative date for all players to be available is not feasible.

If I am entitled to a full or part refund, do I have to apply for this?

No. This will be processed automatically via your TennisUK online account within three days of the event date. You can check this by logging onto your account and clicking on the “Transactions” tab