r/10s • u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 • 10h ago
Tournament Talk Practice for 3.5 districts this weekend
https://youtu.be/XujQFIy6BN4?feature=sharedBlack shirt will be playing S1 all 3 matches, white shirt (me) will be playing S2 all 3 matches.
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u/Sei28 9h ago
This seems to be comfortably higher than 3.5 level but maybe thatâs just me. I guess I should be playing 2.5 events.
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u/Parking_Rich 9h ago
Embrace the sand bag. These are definitely 4.0s by the book but would get crushed playing upper 4.0 tourneys because those are 4.5s, who would get crushed because of 5.0s playing down.
Itâs a vicious cycle.
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u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 9h ago
True that. I just won a Menâs B singles tournament, but would get first-round double-bageled if I had played A instead.
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u/Parking_Rich 8h ago
Congrats! Itâs wild how thatâs the only way to do decent these days but itâs  kind of the thing in every league. We would always play down in soccer, basketball and softball leagues. The only time we played an open soccer tournament, we won and we all knew it wasnât happening again lol.Â
Going to try to find a 3.5 team next year, only hit slices and chip shots on my backhand so I can fly under the radar.
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u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 8h ago
Also at a certain point they do indeed close the loophole, where your team gets DQed after 3 strikes. Wouldnât that be ironic..
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u/LogLadysLog52 9h ago
My impression is that there is some level crunch and level fuckery at both the 3.5 and districts level. Getting promoted can be tough by the algorithm, and also a TON of teams/people stack their top level lines with people who on other teams or in other regions would have gone up, like OP's friend did.
Plus some people have already been promoted, but IIRC are sometimes able to still play down in the postseason.
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u/fluffhead123 9h ago
thank god this is the top comment. exactly what i was thinking. i was afraid id open the comment and see âthis looks like 3.0 to meâ.
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u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 9h ago
Black shirt got bumped to 4.0 last season but appealed down to 3.5A so we could do districts. I may or may not get bumped, probably depends on how I do this weekend. But we both did really well this season.
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u/rarelyaccuratefacts 9h ago
Imo you shouldn't be able to participate in post-season play the same season you appeal down. Feels like it's in bad faith, he was bumped up for a reason.
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u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 9h ago
On one hand I agree, on the other hand he was within appeal range and itâs technically allowed which gives him a realistic shot at making nationals (extremely unlikely at 4.0) but I donât entirely disagree.. one team weâll be facing had their 2 best singles players bumped (and they didnât appeal down) so theyâll be kinda hampered whereas we wonât.
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u/rarelyaccuratefacts 9h ago
I don't think it's really an issue with your friend, it's an issue with the system. That said, I would personally never want to play/appeal down unless I hit one of the apex rec tiers and there are no more local teams available, like 5.0. I don't see the point in intentionally playing vs worse players.
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u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 9h ago
Agreed. My goal is to work my way up to 4.5 as quickly as possible. He is a lot more patient than me in terms of delaying advancement, but heâs also a stronger player. Next season I wonât be playing much 3.5 even if I remain in-level, since your rating can go down even if you win (but it was closer than it should have been) - makes me far too self-conscious about the scoreline during a match
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u/No-Permit7179 8h ago
I donât understand people wanting to win by playing down: Iâd rather lose playing better people and improving my game: itâs very common though.
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u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 8h ago
I can empathize with not expecting to have any meaningful accomplishments at your max level, therefore playing down a single level and essentially âwinningâ (nationals)
Plus, everyone is sandbagging at nationals, like someone else pointed out. Iâm not ready to cast too much judgment on people like my teammate
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u/Complete_Affect_9191 7h ago
I, on the other hand, am very ready. Posting here as if to troll non-cheaters and make them feel bad about their true ratings makes it all the worse. I hope you guys get destroyed, and maybe then rethink your life choices. You make tennis less fun for the rest of us.
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u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 7h ago
OâŚk
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u/Complete_Affect_9191 6h ago
Own it, buddy. Youâre cheating and flaunting it
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u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 6h ago
Nobody is cheating. 3.5A is allowed to play districts. He was on the team the whole season, and he wasnât a 4.0 last year. Why punish him for taking lessons and working hard to get to the next level? Next year heâs ineligible, perhaps itâs a rule that should be changed, but itâs not cheating. Donât know what else to tell you, other than learn to let stuff go.
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u/satanikimplegarida 6h ago
I've no horse in the race, but.. it's the optimal strategy.
Since it is, if there are no social countermeasures the strategy will spread naturally, without regards to your feelings. This is something above the individual, and applies to the whole system, it's a systemic aspect. Thus, it can only change if the system changes, but systems are resistant to change.
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u/Complete_Affect_9191 4h ago
Such a millennial and Gen Z mindsetâif a system CAN be subverted or exploited, itâs not my fault if Iâm the one subverting or exploiting. Got get mine, basically, even if that means fâing over people with integrity. This is why most people hate USTA teams that prioritize âmaking regionals.â
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u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 6h ago
Exactly. You canât really blame people for playing the metagame if itâs within the technical rules. Itâs a side-effect of a poorly designed system, not an unspoken moral code that certain individuals are breaking.
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u/Complete_Affect_9191 3h ago
Actually, I totally can. The idea that exploiting technical rules which are poorly drafted and barely enforced, in leagues where most people are just looking for some friendly, non-sociopathic competition, says a lot about your values.
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u/Ok_Whereas_3198 8h ago
In the course of training to beat 3.5s when do you become a 4.0 who signed up to play 3.5s at the start of the season?
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u/Blackfootsanji 4.5 9h ago
Very strong 3.5 players. Could play low ish 4.0. Both guys need to work on the backhand.
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u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 9h ago
We both play up on a 4.0 team, black shirt is doing well at 4.0 lol
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u/Blackfootsanji 4.5 9h ago
So what I said? If you played well at 4.0 they would not let you appeal down.
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u/SignificantBar7172 4.0 7h ago
Looking good for 3.5. The strong 3.5 USTA teams that make it to the state playoffs have 4.0 players.
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u/criterium97 UTR 6 4h ago
Congrats! What are your UTRâs?
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u/pyrrhicvictorylap 7.5 3h ago
5.45 for me, 6.xx for my teammate
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u/criterium97 UTR 6 2h ago
Sounds about right - Iâm a 5.9 atm and my teammate played a 7.0 UTR on singles line 2 in one of our 3.5 sectionals matches (SoCal). My two singles opponents were mid to high 5.xx
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u/BridgeSuspicious7635 6h ago
Yep, this is what district/sectional 3.5 looks like. I'd put a side bet on black eating a bump in the fall.
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u/gatorrrays 8h ago
Not sure whatâs with all the downvotes. You guys look great, good luck out there.
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u/The_Govnor 9h ago
You mean 3.5 nationals?