An update to our tennis scoring system ahead of the US Open
The 2026 US Open, which is the final tennis major of the year, begins on August 30th.
Our fantasy game for the tournament has just gone live, you can join it here.
Following feedback from many players over recent tournaments, we've decided to trial a small change to our scoring system for this tournament.
As an example, if a male player wins 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 in the opening round, they will now score 22 points rather than 19, because there will be a straight sets bonus of 3 points added to their net sets points (9), net game points (9) and match won point (1).
Though this update doesn't eliminate that possibility completely, because it's important to still keep things reasonably balanced with the latter stages of the tournament in mind as well, the likelihood is reduced significantly.
More points being possible also keeps things interesting at the sharp end of tournaments, as the potential for leaderboards to change late on is increased if we see a straight sets win in the quarters, semis or finals of tournaments.
Finally, there's also arguably a slight balancing of the points gap between male and female players in our tournaments due to the women playing fewer sets; it's difficult for the women to pick up as many net games points, but winning in straight sets is more common in the best of 3 set format.
Montreal and Toronto are ongoing, while US Open seedings will be confirmed shortly after the Cincinnati Open which begins next weekend.
Once seedings are confirmed, picks in our US Open fantasy game will open.
Good luck!
Note: The in-tournament scoring page will soon be updated to include the straight sets bonus.
Our fantasy game for the tournament has just gone live, you can join it here.
Following feedback from many players over recent tournaments, we've decided to trial a small change to our scoring system for this tournament.
Straight sets bonus points now included
If a player wins a match in straight sets, they'll be rewarded with a bonus 3 points on top of our usual scoring (net sets won, net games won, and match won points).As an example, if a male player wins 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 in the opening round, they will now score 22 points rather than 19, because there will be a straight sets bonus of 3 points added to their net sets points (9), net game points (9) and match won point (1).
Why the update?
Winning in straight sets is widely considered to be the most comfortable manner of victory, but on occasion, players that had dropped a set would still score more points than a straight sets winner.Though this update doesn't eliminate that possibility completely, because it's important to still keep things reasonably balanced with the latter stages of the tournament in mind as well, the likelihood is reduced significantly.
More points being possible also keeps things interesting at the sharp end of tournaments, as the potential for leaderboards to change late on is increased if we see a straight sets win in the quarters, semis or finals of tournaments.
Finally, there's also arguably a slight balancing of the points gap between male and female players in our tournaments due to the women playing fewer sets; it's difficult for the women to pick up as many net games points, but winning in straight sets is more common in the best of 3 set format.
Picks open soon
The hard court swing across North America is already well underway following triumphs for Taylor Fritz and Alexandre Eala in Washington DC.Montreal and Toronto are ongoing, while US Open seedings will be confirmed shortly after the Cincinnati Open which begins next weekend.
Once seedings are confirmed, picks in our US Open fantasy game will open.
Good luck!
Note: The in-tournament scoring page will soon be updated to include the straight sets bonus.
Superbru on X
What has always bothered me (a lot bothers me tbh) is the way 'Total Match Net Games Won' doesn't figure. A player can 'rest up' in a set and happily lose 6-1, then storm back and win the next 2 comfortably. Yet only these successes count towards their SB points. But the losing player does get 5 SB points. Why not also take these 5 away from a 4-1 sets winners too? If they lost the 2nd set 3-6 it would see 3 SB pts loped off - thus achieving the SAME NET EFFECT as your new 'Blunt Instrument' tweak. Is it a case of 'I.T. processing' capability limits?
For men's matches, I think 3 bonus points for a straight sets victory is fair effectively one additional point per set won. However, I would not award these bonus points in the quarter-finals, semi-finals or final as too many points are already at stake in those rounds.
For women's matches I would suggest only 2 bonus points for a straight sets victory again limited to the first four rounds.
This would still reward dominant performances without giving players an excessive advantage at the business end of the tournament. It would also make the leaderboard more balanced and prevent a single straight sets win late in a tournament from having to big an impact.
You are saying "Here have even more points just for playing it safe". Where is the Risk/Reward incentive that was once there? Its REGRESSIVE. Just have NET GAMES WON points instead. Totally proportionate. There is a saying "A rising tide lifts ALL boats".