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Brian Dimsho
Brian Dimsho is a USTA certified official and the resident official of the Orange County Grand Prix.

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Bad Call
by Stacy

Q: I was getting ready to serve the ball and the score was 40-0. The exchange during the point was 3 times back and forth before my partner and I won the point. As both teams were walking off the court and one team player already at the bench the opponent says.."No wait, the score you called 40-0 was wrong. It should have been 30-15, we aren't done with this game. This person was talking about two points ago! I argued and said no the game is over, we played the last point we've walked off to exchange sides we can't go back two points ago. What is the rule? Obviously, this caused some fireworks....

A: The steps taken to resolve this one would be . The players should try to resolve the score before an official is called in. But once an official is called in I would first ask if the players were calling out the score before the serve. If all the players agree that the score was being called out so that all heard it than based on your statment that all players walked over to switch sides than most likily the score would stand. But I have found that this rarely happens and the complaining player or team will say that they did not hear the score being called out. So now the responding Official will after hearing all players try to get all of you to once again to agree to the score and play from that score If not and as in this case the dispute will be about one point of the game that is disputed than only that point will be played with you serving from the correct side for the disputed point and if you win that point than the game is over. If the other player or team wins that point than you would continue to complete the game from the new score of 40-30. And if after hearing everyone and the Official still cannot get play to resume from a point that all agree on or which point of the game needs to be played than the Official would use the last option which is flip a coin to arrive at a point to start from or play. And if this was the last game in a match ending set and all the players had met at the net and shook hands than the match would be ruled as completed and there would be no going back. Brian
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