FAQ
These are the questions that come up the first time you play on a ladder. The rules are the full text. If a question is not here, reply to any ladder email and ask.
Challenges
How do I challenge someone?
Tap Actions, then Challenge someone, and pick your own name. Tap the name of the player you want to play, enter the PIN, and submit. The other player gets an email with Accept and Decline links, and you get a copy. The other player's 48-hour deadline to accept starts when the challenge is submitted, and the email gives the exact time.
Who can I challenge?
You can challenge anyone within 5 rungs above or below you. Players on leave do not count toward that, so your range reaches past anyone who is away. Once a season you also get one free challenge, which can go to anyone on the ladder, any rung. Use the free challenge in the first two periods of the season, by Dec 10, 2026. After that, every challenge is within the range. The free challenge is for players who sign up by Oct 27, 2026.
When is my free challenge used up?
It is used up when the challenge ends with a result. That means the match is played, the challenged player declines or does not answer, a forfeit is reported, or the challenged player goes on leave. You keep your free challenge if the challenge expires, if you release it, or if the other player withdraws from the ladder, or if you go on leave yourself, and you can send it again until Dec 10, 2026.
Where is the PIN?
The PIN is in the season email and in your welcome email. Every action form asks for it. The PIN is one shared number for the whole ladder, not a password.
I got a challenge email. What do I do?
Click Accept or Decline in the challenge email within 48 hours of when the challenge was submitted. If you do not answer within those 48 hours, the challenge counts the same as a decline, and the challenger gets the win without playing.
How long does a challenge last?
You normally have 14 days in all. You have 2 days to answer the challenge, and then 12 days to play, counted from the day you accept. The 12 days do not start until you accept, and the accept day is not counted, so a challenge accepted on the 3rd has the 15th as its last day to play. If the challenger sets a late day on the site, the last day to play can move later, as the rules describe.
What happens if I decline?
The challenger gets the win without playing. If the challenger is below you, the challenger takes your rung and you move down one. The win counts as a match for the challenger, not for you.
We accepted. Now what?
There are two steps. First, the two of you agree to a day and a start time between yourselves by text, call or email. The other player's contact details are at the top of the challenge email. Second, the challenger tells the ladder by entering the day and start time with the Set the match date link, in the email the challenger got when the challenge was accepted, or on the site under Actions, Set the match date. Entering the day and start time with that link is the only way the ladder records when you play. You both get an email with the day and time. If plans change, the challenger sets a new day and time with the same link, and the latest date counts. You have 12 days from the day the challenge was accepted to play it.
Who brings the balls? Where do we play?
The challenger brings a new can of balls, and the winner keeps it. Play on any court you both agree on. If you cannot agree, the player who was challenged picks the court. If you book an indoor court, you split the cost.
Can I have two challenges going at once?
No. You can have one challenge at a time, whether you sent it or received it. While you have a challenge or a match pending, nobody can challenge you and you cannot challenge anyone. The Challenge someone page greys out anyone who has a match pending.
I challenged someone and now I cannot play. Can I take it back?
Not right away. From 5 days after the challenge is accepted, the challenger can release the challenge under Actions, Release a challenge. No reason is needed. A release takes effect within a few minutes. A release ends the challenge with no result for either player, and the ladder does not change. Going on leave also withdraws the challenge, but that uses your one leave for the season. Otherwise play the match, or let the challenge expire. The ladder does not change and there is no result for either player.
I cannot play my match. What do I do?
It depends on which side you are on.
If you are the CHALLENGED player, tap Actions, then Concede a match, and pick your name. Enter your email and the ladder PIN. Conceding counts as a loss for you, and the challenger gets the win without playing.
If you are the CHALLENGER, tap Actions, then Cancel a challenge if the challenge has not been answered yet. There is no penalty, and there is no result for either player. Once it is accepted, use Release a challenge instead.
If you are hurt or away for a while, leave may suit you better.
How do I withdraw from the ladder?
Tap Actions, then Withdraw from the ladder, and pick your name. The page takes you through three steps before anything is sent. You come off the ladder for the rest of the season, the players below you move up one rung, and any challenge you have open is cancelled. Your matches stay on record. If you only need a break, leave keeps your place.
How soon can I play the same person again?
You cannot challenge the same player again within 14 days of a match you actually played, and neither can that player challenge you. If a challenge ends without a match, because it was declined, not answered, expired, released, or ended by a leave, the 14 days do not apply.
Scores and movement
I won. What do I do?
Fill in Report a score the same day you play. Only the winner reports. Write every set from your side with your games first, so 6-4 6-4 means you won both sets. Both players get a confirmation email with the exact score. The public site shows only who won and which sets were won.
I lost. Do I do anything?
No, the winner reports the score. If you have not seen the confirmation email by the next day, ask the winner to report it. If the score in that email is wrong, reply to that email.
Why do I have to report the score the same day?
Other players pick whom to challenge from the rungs the site shows. A score reported a week late moves people after they have made their choices. A score reported the day after the match is still accepted. A score reported later than that may not count.
The match ended early because of an injury, or because we ran out of court time.
The match still counts. A player who stops for any reason loses the match. If court time runs out, USTA New Hampshire's 2-2-2 rule decides the winner. The player ahead by 2 points wins the game, the player ahead by 2 games wins the set, the player who has won 2 sets wins the match, and one deciding point settles anything still tied. The winner reports it on Report a score, choosing Ended early, with the score as it stood. The full rule is under Injury, or time runs out.
I did not play this week. Why did my rung change?
Someone below you beat someone above you and took that player's rung. Everyone in between moves down one, you included. If you win an UP match, a match against someone above you, you move up the same way.
Rain stopped our match halfway.
Rain, snow, or a temperature below 45 °F are the only reasons to stop. Resume from where you stopped, still within the 12 days. If the match is not finished by the last day to play listed in the email you got when the challenge was accepted, the challenge expires. The ladder does not change and there is no result for either of you.
My opponent was 20 minutes late.
A player who is not there within 15 minutes of the start time forfeits the match. You may take the forfeit and report it on Report a score, choosing Forfeit, or you may agree to a new day by the last day to play.
Each period
How much do I have to play?
In each period you must play at least 2 matches, against at least 2 different players, and at least 1 of them must be a DOWN match, a match against someone below you. If you miss any of those three requirements, you drop up to 5 rungs at the end of the period. Players who met all three requirements move up past you. The penalty applies in every period, the last one included.
What is a DOWN match, and what if nobody is below me?
A DOWN match is a match against someone below you, and up or down is set by the rungs on the day the challenge was sent. If you were in the bottom three at any time during the period, you do not need a DOWN match for that period, even if you move up later. For a new period, the bottom three is counted from the day the last period's penalties are applied.
A challenge I sent ended without a match. Does it count toward my 2 matches?
Yes, for the challenger. If the challenged player declines, does not answer, or goes on leave, the challenger gets the win without playing. That win counts as an UP or DOWN match according to the rungs on the day the challenge was sent. The challenged player gets no credit.
Which period does a match count for?
A match counts for the period you play it in, whatever period the challenge was sent in. A challenge sent on the last Friday of a period and played 8 days later counts for the next period, so play early enough that the match lands in the period you need it for.
I joined halfway through a period.
If you join in the second half of a period, you do not need to play any matches for that period. You stay on your rung when the period you joined in ends, so you do not move up when players above you drop for missing their matches. In the next period, you need the full 2 matches.
Leave
How does leave work?
Fill in Go on leave under Actions with the date you are back. Your rung is held for up to 2 weeks, nobody can challenge you, and you can't challenge anyone. You get one leave per season. If you are away longer than 2 weeks, you drop 5 rungs at the 2-week mark, and you stay on leave until your return date. After that drop, there is no second penalty for a period in which you were away 2 weeks or more. You stay on your rung when that period ends.
I am away for a week. Do I need leave?
Probably not. If you are challenged, you have 48 hours to answer and 12 days from accepting to play. Accept the challenge, and set the match for a day after you are back.
I am away 3 weeks. What should I do?
Take the 2-week leave. If a challenge arrives after the leave ends, accept the challenge and set the match for after you return. The 2 weeks of leave plus the 12 days to play cover a trip of about three and a half weeks with no drop in rungs. If you will be away longer than that, take the longer leave and the 5-rung drop.
Someone challenged me and I want to go on leave.
The leave starts, and the open challenge counts as a loss for you, the same as clicking Decline. If the challenger is below you, the challenger takes your rung. If you can, go on leave before anyone challenges you. If you just played and want to go on leave, no one can challenge you for 2 hours after your match is filed.
Does leave lower the number of matches I need in a period?
No. The periods are long enough to play 2 matches around a leave.
End of season
Who makes the playoffs?
The top 8 players with at least 6 matches make the playoffs, once the last period's penalties are applied on Jan 24, 2027. That is the total of the 2 matches required in each period over the season, so meeting the 2-match requirement every period is enough. A match you won by forfeit counts, and a match you lost by forfeit does not. If fewer than 8 players have 6 matches, the field is smaller and the top seeds get byes in the first round.
Where do I send things?
Send everything to uppervalleytennisladder
Can I get a summary by email?
Email the ladder with the word DIGEST as the subject. You get one short email every Sunday. The summary lists the matches played and any forfeits, without the scores, along with your rung and a reminder about the rules. Each email has a link to unsubscribe.