Rules and Tournament Format
How Mini Slam tournaments work, scoring and the color group system
Tournament format
Tournaments are played in round robin format in 4 color groups. Players in a group play a match against every opponent in the group.
Depending on the number of players, there can be 4-8 players in a group, so each child plays at least 3 matches (in a 4-player group) and up to 7 matches (in an 8-player group).
In groups of 4-6 players, the tournament continues with a playoff bracket for final placements.
Categories and match length
U7
Children up to 7 years
Matches are played in a shortened set to 4 games.
At 3:3 a deciding game is played (not a tiebreak).
U9
Children up to 9 years
Matches are played in a shortened set to 4 games.
At 3:3 a deciding game is played (not a tiebreak).
A younger player can register for the older category (e.g. a 6-year-old in U9), but not the other way around.
Balls and court dimensions
U7 - Red balls
Played on half court (red court) with red balls that have a slower bounce.
Length 10.97 m × width 5.49 m (between baseline and service line)
U9 - Orange balls
Slower bounce, played on the orange court.
Width 8.23 m × length 16.80 m (on a standard court)
U9 - Green balls
Nearly standard bounce, played on the full standard court.
Dimensions: 10.97 m × 23.77 m
Color groups
Players are divided into 4 color groups based on their position in the overall ranking. Before each tournament the ranking is recalculated and players are redistributed.
Yellow
Top 25% of players in the ranking
Green
25-50% of players in the ranking
Orange
50-75% of players in the ranking
Red
Remaining 25% + all new players
Scoring
After the tournament, players are ranked into the final order based on their positions in the groups. They receive points according to the quartile they finished in:
40
points for top 25%
30
points for 25-50%
20
points for 50-75%
10
points for participation
Points are added up across all tournaments of the season and form the player's overall ranking.
Group draw
Registered players are divided into 4 color groups based on their current points in the ranking:
- Top 25% of registered players go to the Yellow group
- Next 25% to Green
- Next 25% to Orange
- Remaining players (including all new ones) to Red
New players (who have not yet completed any tournament) always start in the Red group. With wins and good results, they move up in the ranking and in the next tournament they can end up in the Orange, Green or even Yellow group.
Referees and prizes
Every match is supervised by a referee who ensures fair play and helps with scoring.
After the tournament, prizes for all participants are prepared.
Have questions?
If you need more information or have questions about the tournament format, do not hesitate to contact us.
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