Handicap Tournaments in Tennis and Squash: How They Work
How handicap competitions work in tennis (scratch, −15, −30, −40) and squash (points starts), how to set fair handicaps from players' levels, and how to run a handicap club competition without the arguments.
Most club championships are won by the same handful of players every year. A handicap competition changes that. By giving the weaker side a start, it makes every match competitive, and suddenly the whole club has a reason to enter.
Handicap events are a club tradition in both tennis and squash. They are also notorious for arguments about who got what start. This guide explains how handicaps work in each sport, and how to set them fairly.
What a handicap does
A handicap gives one side a head start in every game, so two players of different standards have a close match. The stronger player has to win more points to win each game, or the weaker player starts each game with points already on the board.
Handicaps are the classic format for club "plate" competitions, family and junior events, and mixed-ability social tournaments. Done well, a beginner and a club champion can have a genuinely close match.
Tennis handicaps
Tennis handicaps are given in the steps of tennis scoring. The usual scale is:
- Scratch: no handicap
- −15: the player starts every game at −15, so they need an extra point to reach 15
- −30: starts every game at −30
- −40: starts every game at −40
- Minus a game: starts every set a game behind
A minus handicap is "owed": the stronger player gives the start. Some clubs also use plus handicaps, where the weaker player starts every game at 15-0, but owe-only handicaps are simpler to explain and are the common club format.
The key rule: only the difference is played. If one pair owes −30 and the other owes −15, the match is played as if the first pair owes −15 and the other is scratch. Each side keeps its own figure, and the gap between them is what goes on court.
Squash handicaps
In squash, handicaps are given in points. With point-a-rally scoring to 11, the stronger player might start each game on −2, or the weaker player on +2.
Squash handicaps work in single points, which makes them easy to fine-tune. A player who is winning every handicap match comfortably can be moved one point at a time. As in tennis, only the difference between the two players is played.
Setting fair handicaps
The hard part is deciding who gets what. Three approaches are common:
Organiser's judgement. Quick, but it puts one person in the firing line, and every result becomes a debate about whether the handicap was right.
From ratings. Use each player's rating (club colour bands, UTR, World Tennis Number or SquashLevels) and convert the gap into a start. Players accept this much more readily because it is consistent.
From results during the event. Start from ratings, then adjust between rounds. A player who has won two rounds comfortably probably needs a bigger handicap for the quarter-final.
For doubles, add the two players' handicaps together, so a pair of two strong players owes more than a pair of one strong and one average player.
Running a handicap competition
A few rules keep things smooth:
- Publish the handicaps with the draw. Nobody should find out their start on the day.
- Freeze the handicap once a match is played. If you change handicaps between rounds, a played result should keep the handicap it was played under.
- Have one person who can adjust handicaps, and give them the authority to do it.
- Don't announce a handicap where there isn't one. A scratch match is just a match.
How Rallio runs handicap competitions
Rallio's competitions support handicaps for tennis and squash. Turn them on and Rallio suggests a start for each entry from its players' levels, adding the two players together for a doubles pair. You review the suggestions before anything is saved, and any player without a usable level is flagged.
In tennis, starts are shown as scratch, −15, −30, −40 or minus a game. In squash they are shown in points: one level band is worth two points, you adjust a start one point at a time, and a weaker player can receive a start (+2) or a stronger one go past the bands by hand. Each side sees its own figure, only the difference is played, and a scratch match shows nothing at all. You adjust a player's handicap by moving their level band rather than typing a number, so the reason is always clear.
Handicaps can be recalculated for a single round from the players still in it, and each result keeps the handicap it was played under, so a score still reads correctly a season later (6-4 7-5 (−30)).
Players enter from a link, the draw is seeded from their ratings, and they arrange and score their own matches. On finals day, a live board link puts the draw on the clubhouse TV.
Read more about tennis tournaments and squash in Rallio, or set up a free group at rallio.io. Rallio runs on web, iOS and Android, and it is free while we are in beta.
