The essentials before your next WAIT match
A WAIT A/B team match has five doubles lines, with one league point for each line won. Normal first-round play starts at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, after scorecards have been completed and exchanged before 9:15 a.m. Late-play participants must be present by 10:45 a.m.
The league uses its own eligibility, substitute and player-placement rules. A familiar USTA rating or a name appearing automatically on a roster does not replace the league's required approval. For a new player, confirm the Membership Committee's decision before putting her on court.
Official source: Rules III.B.2-3 and III.B.6, pp. 6-7; IX, p. 10; I.A.3, p. 2
How scoring, tiebreaks and standings work
Each line earns the same one point, regardless of position. A routine completed team match therefore distributes five points. A 3-2 result means three line wins for one team and two for the other. The number of games won is not an extra bonus-point category under this rulebook.
Individual matches use a best-of-three-set format. At 6-6 in a set, play a seven-point Coman tiebreak, winning by two. For normal or early starts, all four players may agree to replace the third set with a 10-point super tiebreak. A third set beginning at or after 1 p.m. must instead be a 10-point tiebreak.
End-of-season placement ties use the points earned in the tied teams' head-to-head team matches. If those points are also equal, the teams share that placement. Team promotion and relegation also involve Divisional Board discretion, roster retention and the criteria in Rule I.B.4, so a place in the table alone does not settle next season's division.
Do we have to play a full third set?
Not always. All four players can agree to a 10-point substitute for a normal or early-start match. If the third set begins at or after 1 p.m., the 10-point tiebreak is required.
How does the Coman change of ends work?
Change ends after the first point, then after every four more points: after points 1, 5, 9 and 13, continuing that pattern. The set tiebreak is first to seven, with a two-point margin.
Official source: Rules III.B.6.c, p. 7; II.C-D, p. 4; I.B.4-5, pp. 3-4
Who can play, join or substitute?
Players must be at least 21 and meet the amateur-status requirements. The rulebook excludes players who have ever held a USTA rating above 5.0 or an ITF equivalent, along with specified current college and paid-playing situations. Prior college, open-level, ranking, payment or coaching history can trigger Membership screening; check the full eligibility clause for the player's circumstances.
A roster must contain 12 to 20 players. New-player forms and fees must reach the Membership Chair by Monday before the match, and approval is needed before participation. No new players may be added in the final six matches. Transfers have separate approval, timing and roster requirements.
A team can use eligible lower-level A/B players or approved WAIT C substitutes. There are important rating-based restriction exceptions, so being from a lower level is not enough by itself. A team may use no more than two substitutes in a team match and no more than 12 over the season. Substitutes must play below regular rostered players.
Can a WAIT C player substitute in A/B?
Yes, if she is on the approved substitute list and satisfies the applicable restrictions. Her application and fee must arrive by Monday before the match, and Membership authorization must be received before play.
Does appearing on the roster mean a new player is approved?
No. The rules warn that applicants' names can populate automatically. Confirm the Membership Committee's decision before playing a new player.
How do we report a substitute?
Mark the player as a substitute on the exchanged scorecard and submit the substitute information to the Recorder through the official form within 24 hours.
Official source: Rules I.A.1-5, pp. 2-3
Flagged players, restrictions and lineup exchange
A flagged player must play at line 1 or 2 until she has three losses in the season and her captain receives Membership's notification removing the flag. Three losses alone do not automatically clear it. Flagging criteria depend on prior participation, results and downward level movement.
Restrictions are a different designation. Membership may approve a player only for particular levels or lines; changes require its review and approval. The detailed restriction guidelines sit outside the rulebook, so consult the player's actual league decision rather than inferring permission from EloCup statistics.
Complete and exchange scorecards before 9:15 a.m. Normal substitutions are not allowed after exchange, and once any line has played a point the card is set. The book has specific early/late-play provisions, so arrange those with the opposing captain in advance instead of treating a late start as an informal lineup change.
Can a flagged player move down after her third loss?
Only after her captain requests removal through the Membership Chair and receives notification. Until that arrives, she must remain in her flagged position.
What happens if a player arrives after 9:30?
For regular first-round play, the player and partner default and cannot pair with somebody else. The other partnerships stay intact, with the card adjusted to show the lowest-line default. Late and makeup matches use their recorded line instead.
Official source: Rules X.A.1-5 and X.B, pp. 10-11; III.A, p. 5; III.B.2, p. 6
Rain, unsafe courts and makeup matches
Before any play begins, assembled teams must be ready to wait until 10:15 a.m. for courts to become playable, unless both captains decide earlier that they will not. If courts remain unplayable, captains may agree to split all points or use an available official makeup date. Previously declared defaults are invalid when the entire unstarted team match is rescheduled.
After any play has begun, players must be ready to wait 30 minutes after interruption. Completed and defaulted lines stand. If play is resumed, unfinished lines restart at the exact set, game and point score, with the exchanged lineups retained.
The first makeup date available to both teams in the current half is used. If none is available, the relevant points are split. Captains must decide and notify the Recorder before the next regularly scheduled league match. A makeup that is rained out again leads to splitting the remaining points, while completed and defaulted lines stand.
Can we leave because a rain delay conflicts with another commitment?
Players must remain available during the required pre-start wait. A player who opts out because of other obligations forfeits her line rather than choosing a split.
Can either team insist on splitting rainout points?
A voluntary split requires both captains' agreement. Otherwise use the applicable makeup provisions; when no qualifying makeup date exists, the rules themselves require a split.
Official source: Rules VII.A.1, VII.A.4-5 and VII.C, pp. 8-10
Official source: Rules VII.A.4-5, pp. 9; VII.B-C, p. 10
Score reporting and handling a disagreement
The home captain posts completed-match scores within 24 hours. The visiting captain checks them and reports discrepancies to the Recorder within 48 hours. Keeping a copy of the exchanged card makes it easier to explain a correction.
Raise an on-court problem with the opponents first. If it continues, the captains can arrange observers. WAIT observers may take notes but cannot call lines or overrule players. A formal protest has two separate deadlines: verbal notification within 24 hours, then the completed official form within 48 hours.
Can my captain coach me during a break?
No. Coaching or advice during match play, including breaks, is prohibited. Rules information has its own procedure; it does not create permission for tactical coaching.
Can we film a match?
Only with every player's consent. Without it, play stops until the filming or photography ends.
Official source: Rules III.B.6, p. 7; IV, p. 7; V.B, pp. 7-8
Captain’s match-day checklist
- Confirm new-player approval and substitute eligibility before selecting the lineup (I.A.3-5).
- Check each flagged or restricted player's actual approved position (III.A; X).
- Arrange court availability and late play by the league deadlines (III.B.1).
- Exchange a complete card before 9:15 a.m.; be ready for 9:30 play (III.B.2-3).
- Have the official rules, approved substitutes and Recorder details available (I.A.5; V).
- Post home scores within 24 hours or check away scores within 48 hours (III.B.6).
Use the linked rule references above when checking each item.
Official sources and scope
Official WAIT A/B League Rules, revised July 2026. Checked November 2, 2026.
Applies to WAIT A/B, not WAIT C. EloCup's independent explanation of the official 2026-27 rulebook. The league's rules and Membership or Rules and Review decisions govern. Detailed restriction guidelines are a separate document and have not been summarized here.
Examples illustrate the published rules. They are not league rulings or statements about a particular player. Confirm amendments and disputed interpretations with your league before acting.