How many sets to win a match

Dimitar Dimitrov Asked 10 years ago

The question maybe is little stupid but how many sets are required to win a match? I thought that the game is 3 of 5 sets till 11 points, but now i see matches with 4 of 6 sets. Is it fixed value or depends on tournament or judges? Or rules are changed?

I saw that Samsonov wins over Timo Boll with 4 to 0 sets at 2013 semi finals. Maybe just for the finals?

Alois Rosario Answered 10 years ago

Hi Dimitar,

The ITTF rules says that a match can be any uneven number of sets. A lot of International matches are played best of 7 games where you need to win 4 to win.

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Dieter Verhofstadt Posted 10 years ago

Hi,

In international matches you need to win 4 sets. In many club competitions or national level tournaments it's 3.

The total number of sets played depends on how well the loser did. It can be 4-0, 4-1, 4-2 or 4-3. So the total number varies from 4 to 7. It is not required to "play out" the 7 sets. If it's 4-0 the match is over.

Similarly, in national tournaments the possible results are 3-0, 3-1 and 3-2, varying from 3 to 5 sets in total. Again, the winner reaching 3 is what matters, not the total.

Dieter