Our Scoring Engine: From Points to Sets

The Challenge of Tennis Scoring

Tennis scoring might seem straightforward, but it's actually quite complex when you consider all the variations:

• Standard games (15-30-40-game)
• Deuce and advantage scenarios
• Tiebreak games (first to 7, win by 2)
• Set variations (6-game sets, 8-game pro sets, no-ad scoring)
• Match formats (best of 3, best of 5, 10-point tiebreaks)

Our Technical Approach

We built our scoring engine as a state machine that can handle any tennis scoring scenario. Here's how it works:

1. Point Tracking

Every point is recorded with metadata including:

• Timestamp
• Server
• Point winner
• Point type (winner, error, ace, etc.)

2. Game State Management

Our engine maintains the current state of:

• Current game score
• Games won per set
• Sets won per match
• Serving rotation
• Tiebreak status

3. Rule Engine

The system automatically applies tennis rules:

• When games become sets
• When tiebreaks are triggered
• When matches are complete
• Proper serving rotation

Real-World Testing

We've tested our scoring engine with:

• ✅ 500+ recreational matches
• ✅ Tournament play with various formats
• ✅ Edge cases like 70-68 final sets
• ✅ Rapid-fire scoring during fast points

"The system has never missed a point or incorrectly calculated a game outcome in our testing."

We're continuously refining the engine based on real match data and user feedback. Next up: adding support for modified scoring formats and team play!