Fed Cup revises rules for dead matches

Tennis February 07, 2013

Photo: AP Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm returns a ball during a training session in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 6, 2013. The Japan tennis team will face Russia during the Fed Cup tennis tournament this weekend.

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LONDON (AP) — The fourth singles in a Fed Cup tie will be scrapped if a team has an unassailable 3-0 lead, under new rules brought in to make the competition "more player-friendly."

Under the ITF's revised dead rubber policy, the doubles will be brought forward and played instead of the fourth singles. Juan Margets, executive vice-president of the ITF, says in a statement on Thursday that the rule change "came in response to requests from players, captains and national associations" following its introduction in the Davis Cup.

If a tie is decided after the fourth singles, the doubles will still be played and a first-to-10 match tiebreaker will replace the third set. This will apply in group play but not in the final, when the doubles won't be played.

Subjects
- Sports,
- Fed Cup,
- Tennis,
- Events
Locations
- Western Europe,
- Europe,
- United Kingdom

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