Guide
How to run a tennis or pickleball tournament (bracket formats explained)
By Michael Montalbano, founder of Beleeg · Last updated
To run a tennis or pickleball tournament, pick a bracket format that fits your courts and time, split entries into divisions by level, seed the strongest entries apart, work out how many matches you need and how much court time that takes, then publish the draw and record scores as matches finish. Single elimination is the fastest format; round robin, pools, and consolation brackets give everyone more matches.
The short version
- 1Pick the date, the courts, and how many hours you have them.
- 2Choose a format for each division.
- 3Set divisions by level and gender, with at least four entries each.
- 4Open entries with a fee, a size limit, and a closing date.
- 5Seed the strongest entries and place any byes.
- 6Work out the number of matches and check it fits your court time.
- 7Publish the draw, run check-in, and record each score as matches finish.
Which bracket format should I use?
Single elimination suits big fields and short days; a consolation bracket or a three-match guarantee gives early losers more tennis or pickleball; round robin suits small groups; pools then playoffs suits a full day where everyone should play at least three matches.
| Format | How it works | Matches for 16 entries | Matches each entry is sure to play | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single elimination | Lose once and you are out. | 15 | 1 | Big fields and tight court time. |
| Single elimination with consolation | Players who lose their first match play on in a second bracket. | 22 | 2 | Club events where nobody should play just once. |
| Three-match guarantee | Extra brackets keep everyone playing until they have played three matches. | At least 24 | 3 | Day-long events with enough courts. |
| Round robin | Everyone plays everyone. | 120 (too many; use groups) | 15 | Groups of 4 to 6. |
| Pools then playoffs | Round-robin groups of four, then the top two from each group play a bracket. | 31 | 3 | Full-day events that want a champion. |
| Double elimination | You are out after your second loss. | 30 or 31 | 2 | Events that want a second chance for everyone. |
How many matches will I need, and how much court time?
A single-elimination draw needs one fewer match than it has entries; a round robin needs N × (N − 1) ÷ 2 matches for N entries. Divide the matches by your courts to get the number of waves, then multiply by the match length.
| Match format | Typical time on court |
|---|---|
| Pickleball, one game to 11 | 15 to 20 minutes |
| Pickleball, one game to 15 | 20 to 25 minutes |
| Pickleball, best of three games to 11 | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Tennis, one pro set to 8 | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Tennis, two sets and a 10-point tiebreak | 1 to 1.5 hours |
| Tennis, best of three full sets | 1.5 to 2 hours |
Example: pools then playoffs for 16 entries is 31 matches. On 6 courts that is 6 waves; at 45 minutes a wave, about 4.5 hours before changeovers and warm-ups.
How do seeding and byes work?
Seeding places the strongest entries apart so the top two can only meet in the final. When the number of entries is not 4, 8, 16, or 32, the draw is filled to the next of those sizes with byes, and the byes go to the top seeds.
- Byes needed = the next bracket size minus the number of entries. Twelve entries in a 16-line draw need four byes, which go to seeds 1 to 4.
- Seed by rating (such as DUPR for pickleball, or NTRP or UTR for tennis) or by recent results.
- Seed about one entry in four. With 16 entries, seed four.
- Keep partners from the same club apart in the first round if you can.
How should I set divisions?
Tennis and pickleball tournaments usually split divisions by level and by event, such as men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles, and sometimes by age. Each division needs at least four entries to be worth running.
- Publish the rating limit for each division before entries open.
- Set a size limit per division from your court time, and keep a waitlist.
- If a division is short on the closing date, merge it with the next level or turn it into a round robin.
What scoring should I use?
Short scoring keeps a tournament on time. For pickleball, one game to 11 (win by 2) for pools and early rounds and best of three for finals is common. For tennis, no-ad games and a 10-point tiebreak instead of a third set are common.
- Use the same scoring across a round so courts free up together.
- Play consolation matches with shorter scoring than the main draw.
- Tell players the scoring and the warm-up time (usually 3 to 5 minutes) before they walk on court.
What does a sample tournament day look like?
This sample pickleball tournament day runs 16 doubles teams on six courts: four pools of four with games to 11, then an 8-team bracket with best-of-three matches.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 8:00 | Check-in and warm-up |
| 8:30 and 8:55 | Pool round 1 (8 matches, two waves) |
| 9:20 and 9:45 | Pool round 2 |
| 10:10 and 10:35 | Pool round 3 |
| 11:15 | Quarterfinals: top two from each pool, best of three |
| 12:15 | Semifinals |
| 1:15 | Final and presentation |
Two free courts during the bracket can run a consolation round for the teams that did not reach the quarterfinals.
How do I handle no-shows, withdrawals, and scores?
Set a check-in time and a grace period, such as 15 minutes, after which the match is a default. Keep a list of alternates, and have the winner report each score as soon as the match ends.
- Fill withdrawals before the draw is published from the waitlist; after that, give the opponent a walkover.
- Ask for the full score, not just the winner, so ties in pools can be broken.
- Break pool ties by head-to-head first, then games won and lost.
Where Beleeg helps
Everything above works with a spreadsheet and a group text. If you would rather not keep them up to date by hand, this is what Beleeg does for you:
- Build a bracket for free before you make an account: type or paste the names, one per line, for singles or doubles pairs, or import a list. You sign up when you publish it.
- Four formats: single elimination, single elimination with a consolation bracket, a three-match guarantee, and round robin. Beleeg does not run double elimination.
- Winners move on automatically, and the public bracket page updates as scores come in, with no login.
- Charge an entry fee online; the money goes to your Stripe account, minus a flat $3 per payment.
- Tournaments run inside a Beleeg league or organization can hold several events at once, such as men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles, each with its own rating limit, size limit, format, and price, plus a waitlist and a time limit to pay.
- In those tournaments, seed entries in order or by rating, and byes are placed for you when the draw is not full.
- In those tournaments, you also choose who enters scores (only the director, both sides confirming, or either side), spread matches across several clubs by distance, and set each match’s time.
- Free for organizers.
Choosing software for your league? Read the best league management software for adult and rec leagues, or compare Beleeg with TeamSnap, LeagueApps, or SportsEngine.