US Squash Policies:
Doubles Policies
Tournament Procedure PoliciesEntry Management and Tournament TimelinesDoubles Ranking SystemRules of Doubles
Scoring
Standard point-a-rally scoring (PAR) to 15 points will be used in all accredited tournaments. All matches in accredited tournaments are best-of-5 games.
Refereeing Requirements
In all US Squash accredited play, players are responsible for refereeing their peers. All four players are encouraged to referee the match following their own. The losing team should act as the center judge and a line judge with one of the winning players serving as the remaining line judge. The tournament director may also ask players to referee matches at other times or on other courts. Referees should know and understand all WSF Hardball Doubles Rules. Refereeing teams must be ready and present immediately following the completion of their match. A player not fulfilling his or her refereeing responsibilities may lose his or her current US Squash referee certification and may not be allowed to continue participating in the tournament.
Number of Guaranteed Matches
All National Doubles Championships guarantee a minimum of 3 scheduled matches. Club tournaments are recommended to schedule a minimum of 3 scheduled matches at an accredited tournament. Players are expected to complete all scheduled matches. If players abandon a tournament, they may forfeit a tournament deposit at the discretion of the tournament director. Injured players may be required to submit a doctor’s note. Late withdrawals may result in some players receiving less than 3 matches.
Tournament Seeding
National Doubles Championships are seeded with help from the Seeding Subcommittee of the US Squash Doubles Committee. Ranking points, doubles rating, singles rating, and prior results are used to determine seeding. Accredited tournament directors are encouraged to use a similar method for seeding local events using the data available on the Club Locker platform.
Default and Withdrawal Policies
All withdrawals from National Doubles events after the entry deadline are considered late withdrawals. As such, entry fees and any deposits will not be refunded. If a player’s partner withdraws, he or she can find a new player prior to 48 hours before the first scheduled match of the tournament. Draws will be reseeded to maintain the integrity of the draw based on the recommendation of the Seeding Subcommittee. Within the 48-hour window, no partner changes or reseeds will be done and defaults will be enforced. Accredited tournaments are encouraged to apply this policy at the discretion of the tournament director. The tournament director may default teams who do not arrive on court 15 minutes after the scheduled match time. Teams that default a match in a tournament also default subsequent matches. Teams may be permitted to continue in the tournament at the discretion of the tournament director. Teams that fail to complete all tournament matches may forfeit a tournament deposit. Injured players will be required to submit a doctor’s note in order to be refunded the tournament deposit.
Combined Age Divisions
In some cases, a tournament director may choose to combine age divisions due to low entries or other extenuating factors. EXAMPLE: If the Men’s 55+ receives 5 entries and the Men’s 60+ receives 2 entries, the tournament director may choose to combine the 55+ and 60+ divisions into a single 55+ division. All players must be age eligible for a division on the first day of tournament play
Round Robin Tie Break Rules
In the event of a tie in a round robin draws, finishing positions are determined based on the following criteria, which are applied in sequential order until the tie is broken.
- Most Matches Won
- Fewest Matches Lost
- Most Games Won
- Fewest Games Lost
- Percentage of Total Points Won (total points won divided by total points played)
Regular Tournament Registration Deadline (Entry Deadline)
National Doubles Championships entries close Wednesday 1.5 weeks before the start of the event at 12pm ET. For accredited play, a tournament director can decide entry deadline at his or her discretion.
Players Per Division
A minimum of 4 teams is required to be an accredited division and tournament directors may combine divisions to reach this minimum.
Age Eligibility
Adult age group players must be age eligible as of the first day of tournament play. Junior age group players must be age eligible through the last day of tournament play.
Number of Divisons
Accredited tournament directors may allow players to participate in multiple divisions, however, players must be prepared to play all matches at their scheduled times and accommodations by the tournament director should not be expected. US National Doubles Championships do not allow play in more than one division unless specifically stated. US Squash reserves the right to enter a team in more than one division to fill out an entry list.
Waitlist
Events with limited capacity may utilize a waitlist in the event of oversubscribed divisions.
Team Start Times
Team start times for all US National Doubles Championships will be released 5pm in the time zone of the tournament on the Monday before the start of the event.
Draws
For all events, online draws will be available by 5pm ET in the time zone of the tournament on the Wednesday before the start of the tournament.
Rating Based System
The US Squash rating algorithm uses all matches from the previous 45 months in the US Squash database to calculate a relative measure of each player’s ability. Your rating is a great way to compare your level against friends and competitors, find a match against some of similar level, or track your improvement over time! You can read more about the algorithm by clicking here.
The Tournament Structure
The tournament calendar is designed to give players of all skill levels the opportunity for fun and competitive play. Players of any rating and ranking may apply for entry into any level of tournament but are encouraged to pick an appropriate level with advice provided by tournament directors and US Squash.
Age Group and Skill Level Rankings
In order to receive an age group ranking, members are required to:
- Have a gender selected
- Have an accurate birth date in the system
- Play a match in two accredited doubles tournaments in the appropriate age division in the last 12 months. Men’s Open requires 3 exposures.
Ranking Criteria
US Squash Doubles Ranking Points are calculated using the following criteria:
Events are divided into categories based on level as determined by US Squash. Points listed below are Open division points on which the percentages above are calculated:
- Men’s points are based on the best 4 events from the prior 24 months
- Women’s points are based on the best 3 events from the prior 24 months
- Points from the most recent 12 months are applied at 100%; the 12 months prior are applied at 75%
- Rankings are calculated monthly
- Points from one age group younger apply to the age group older at 80%. For example, points earned in M50+ apply to M55+ rankings at 80%. The same calculation applies to women’s age groups but at 10-year gaps. Open and Pro results count towards M40+ and W40+ at 80%.
- Doubles Championships points are applied at 100% regardless of draw size. For Regional, State, and Club level events, points are tiered based on draw size. The full points table can be viewed here (link TBA).
Men | % points |
Open | 100 |
40 | 80 |
45 | 64 |
50 | 51 |
55 | 41 |
60 | 33 |
65 | 26 |
70 | 21 |
75 | 17 |
80 | 13 |
Women | % points |
Open | 100 |
40 | 80 |
50 | 64 |
60 | 51 |
Place | Championship | Regional | State | Club |
1 | 4000 | 2000 | 1000 | 500 |
2 | 3400 | 1700 | 850 | 425 |
3 & 4 | 2500 | 1250 | 625 | 313 |
5 & 8 | 1700 | 850 | 425 | 213 |
9 & 16 | 1100 | 550 | 275 | 138 |
17 & 32 | 678 | 339 | 169 | 85 |