Doubles Matches Decided by Match Tie-Breakers
As part of the revamping of the doubles game on the pro Tour, most doubles matches are now decided by a super 10 point tie-breaker rather than a third set when the two teams split the first two sets. This change serves to shorten the length of doubles matches and make the timing and scheduling more reliable. It also adds a bit of excitement to the doubles because clearly close matches are more entertaining for the fans than blow-
outs. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne this week, several top players elected to get some extra match practice by playing doubles including Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Amelie Mauresmo. What’s a bit unusual at the Sony Ericsson Open is the number of first round doubles matches decided by the super tie-breaker, i.e. 5 out of 16 men’s matches and 9 out of 16 women’s matches. Of those double matches, 4 out of the 5 winners on the men’s side won the second set and then the tie-breaker while only 3 out of the 9 teams on the women’s side won the second set and then the tie-breaker. Therefore, it’s hard to tell if there’s a strong connection between winning the second set and then the tie-breaker. Nonetheless, that data illustrates a lot of very close first round doubles matches which would have gone three sets without the tie-breaker. The change to the super tie-breaker is a smart move by the Tours because doubles needs to be fast-paced and shortening the matches may encourage more top singles players to periodically compete in the doubles.
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