As of September 30, 2019 the Match Hub grading system changed to using Points based promotion instead of Wins based.

On the surface not much changed and there are still 12 grading bands as before. However there are different Grade points bands for males and females.

This means that there can be one unified Grading List and mixed gender matches will count for points without having to make any adjustment to the female player’s grading.

Rationale for change

• The reason for Grade Wins based grading was to encourage participation in competitive tennis by emphasising the reward for winning, rather than the fear of losing. However the pressure to get a Grade Win at all costs has created downsides especially in areas where it can be difficult to get a match that counts for a Grade Win. Match avoidance and defaults in consolations are not new issues but the added pressure of Grade Wins seems to be a compounding factor.
• Another factor has been the difficulty in applying the Grade Wins formula correctly as the sequence of matches was extremely important.
• Seeding for tournaments will be easier and should be better as there will be less players on the same points at the top or bottom of Grades.
• Mixed gender matches, which have been a popular feature of the Grade Wins system, will still be possible and even easier to manage for tournament organisers.
• The unified Grading List means that mixed gender Grade based tournaments and leagues will be simpler to organise.
• Doubles gradings have been difficult to get right in the Wins based system due to the volume of matches played and variability of levels in partnerships. This has meant players being promoted too easily and above their true level.
• As more shorter format tennis is played there will be the potential to count the results for points in a manner that would have less impact than in the Grade Wins system.

There is no change to the Grades and points bands for Male players. Females’ Grades stay the same but the points bands will change as follows:

points conversion

There will be a Cutover at the end of September to convert all players to their new points position.  All players will have the same Grade as before.

Males’ points will be rounded down to the nearest 5 points.  E.g. 2399 becomes 2395

Females will need to be converted to the new points ranges as follows.
New points = New base points of Current grade + % of current points level within the grade, rounded down to nearest 5 points.   e.g.

• S8 on 1300 = S8-865
• S4 on 2500 = S4-1900
• S3 on 2999 = S3-2395

The Recalculation is run twice monthly – as at 15th and last day of each month. The website is actually updated on the first following working day.

Players gain or lose points for each match depending on their relative points in the Win/Loss points adjustments table.

Adjustments when winner has the higher points

Adjustments when winner has the lower points

Grade promotions.  A player moves up a grade automatically when their points reach the next band level. After promotion a player receives 2 months immunity from being downgraded (except for grade 1).

Grade demotions.  A player moves down a grade if their points drop below the bottom of their current band. However if the player has immunity then the player will instead be placed at the bottom of their current Grade.  Immunity lasts for 2 months after a grade promotion.

All mixed gender matches, in competitions that allow mixed gender, will be counted for Grading purposes for both the male and female.  This will be simple to understand as there is a unified grading list.

Doubles grades will have the same bands as for singles.

The unified grading list means any combination of men and women can be treated equally for grading calculations.

Each partnerships’ points are averaged and the difference used to calculate win/loss adjustments in the same way as for singles.  Both partners receive the same adjustment.