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Rules & Format

How the Court is won.

Queens of the Court is an MLP-style, all-women's team tournament. Here is exactly how matches are played, scored, and settled.

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Format at a glance

A team format built for energy.

Single round robin into single-elimination playoffs. Rosters run deep, and every match can come down to a live singles tiebreaker.

Structure

Single round robin, then single-elimination playoffs

Roster

4–6 players per team, 4 active on court each round

A match

2 doubles rounds (4 games) plus a possible Dreambreaker

Awards

Medals through 4th place, plus team-name & uniform prizes

Scoring

Rally scoring, all the way through.

Every doubles game and the Dreambreaker use rally scoring. Medal matches raise the stakes with a win-by-two margin and a serve freeze.

Round robin & playoffs

Doubles games

Rally scoring to 15, win by 1

Dreambreaker

Rally scoring to 21, win by 1 — no freeze (you do not have to win on your own serve)

Medal matches only

Doubles games

Rally scoring to 15, win by 2

Dreambreaker

Rally scoring to 21, win by 2 — freeze (you must win on your own serve)

Match rules

Every round, four on the court.

A match is two doubles rounds of two games each — four games total — plus a possible Dreambreaker. Line up wisely; the aggregate cap is checked every round.

  • 1Each team selects 4 players for each round. The combined DUPR of those 4 may not exceed the maximum for the entered division.
  • 2Players must switch partners between Round 1 and Round 2.
  • 3Substitutions may only happen between rounds or in case of injury, and only from rostered players. An injured player is then ineligible for the rest of the tournament.
  • 4Rally scoring: partners stay on their chosen side (left or right) for the whole game. Serving alternates by score — even score, the right-side player serves; odd score, the left-side player serves. Sides may switch after a timeout or when ends change.
  • 5Each team gets one timeout per game.

Divisions

Division eligibility (DUPR).

To help ensure fair and competitive play, both your team’s combined DUPR and each individual player’s DUPR must fall within the limits below. The combined figure covers the four players active on court in a match — not the full roster.

Division Team combined DUPR Maximum individual DUPR
10 Up to 10.999 3.25
12 Up to 12.999 3.75
14 Up to 14.999 4.25
16 Up to 16.999 4.75
18 Up to 18.999 5.25
Open No limit No limit

Placement policy

Teams are placed in the lowest division for which they qualify. Playing up one division is permitted. Playing up more than one division requires Tournament Director approval.

Example: a lineup of 4.20, 3.00, 2.50, 2.50 totals 12.20 — under the 12.999 team limit — but cannot compete in the DUPR 12 division, because the 4.20 player exceeds the 3.75 maximum individual rating. That team plays DUPR 14, where the individual limit is 4.25.

Unrated players are assigned a score for tournament purposes only (for example, an unrated DUPR 12 player is assigned 3.0). Age-based divisions run when available.

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The tiebreaker

The Dreambreaker

If a match is tied 2–2 after the doubles rounds, it goes to the Dreambreaker — a live singles tiebreaker. Team members rotate in, rally scoring runs to 21, and every point swings the match. Fast, strategic, and high-stakes.

Win by 1 with no freeze in round robin and playoffs; win by 2 with a serve freeze in medal matches.

Starting a match

Home, away, and first serve

  • • Decide home/away by coin flip, paddle spin, or guessing a hidden number (1 or 2).
  • • The winner chooses to be Home or Away.
  • • Home chooses the side or to serve. Choosing serve means your team starts every game serving.
  • • Away presents its lineup first in doubles games; Home presents first in the Dreambreaker.
  • • Teams change ends at 8 in doubles and 11 in the Dreambreaker, finishing a game on the end they will start the next.
  • • Keep it moving — only 2 minutes between games.

Playoffs & awards

Play for the podium.

The top 4 teams after round robin advance to the medal round — a Gold Medal Match and a Bronze Medal Match. Larger brackets may add quarterfinals or semifinals. Medals are awarded through 4th place, with raffle prizes for the best team name and best uniforms.

4

Teams to medals

2

Medal matches

Best team name & best uniform raffles

APBF reserves the right to alter or change the format. Rules are reviewed at the pre-tournament meeting on the morning of each event.