How many games are in a soft tennis match?
B · Beginner · Following a match · 3 of 7A match is usually seven or nine games, and the first pair to win a majority wins. Shorter matches of three or five games, or a single game to 15 points, are allowed. Longer matches can be played in three or five sets, each set being 15 points or an odd number of games.
How it works
- Standard: seven or nine games in principle.
- Short matches: a 15-point match, or three or five games.
- Long matches: three or five sets, each of 15 points or three, five, seven or nine games.
- Winning a match: the first to a majority of games, such as four in a seven-game match.
- Winning a set: the first to a majority of games in the set; the match goes to a majority of sets.
- Who decides: the competition organisers set the number of games in the competition guide.
- The end: the chair umpire calls "Game set" and announces the result at the net.
The glossary has the number of games, the winning a match, the final game, the guide to competitions, the start and end of a match and the chair umpire, vice umpire and linesmen.
Tricky cases
In a nine-game match, how many games win?
Five.
How does a 15-point match end?
The first pair to 15 points wins; at 14-14 it goes to deuce.
A player retires injured. Do their games count?
Yes. Points and games won so far stand, but the opponents win the match.
Can the organisers change the number of games mid-event?
The number is set in the competition guide and told to players in advance.
Why the rule exists
Odd numbers of games always give a winner. Short formats let large draws finish in a day, and long formats suit finals.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Doubles | Seven or nine games | ISTF C 17.1 |
| Singles | Seven games in principle | ISTF S 5 |
| Each competition | Set in its guide | ISTF O 9.3 |
| World Championships 2024 | Doubles best of nine, singles best of seven | WC 2024, item 14 |
From the rule book
International Soft Tennis Federation, Technical Rules (web text, site snapshot of 30 January 2024): Rules for Competitions, articles 17 to 19 and 39; singles rule 5; Rules for Umpiring, article 23(12); Rules for Operations of Competitions, article 9.3. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the ISTF Technical Rules, published on the federation's website.