A regular padel match: scoring, sets and tie-breaks

What is a regular matchup?

It's padel as most people learn it: four friends, one court, two pairs, and a proper match with games and sets. No rotation, no leaderboard of points — just a result. In BAYmericano a regular matchup is a single best-of-three match that you can run back as often as you like, with a running tally of who's winning the series.

How padel scoring works

1. Points: 15, 30, 40, game — the same as tennis. At 40–40 (deuce), play advantage, or a single golden point if you've agreed to it, where the receiving pair chooses who receives.
2. Games: the first pair to six games with a two-game lead wins the set: 6–0 up to 6–4, or 7–5.
3. Tie-break: at 6–6, play a tie-break to 7 points, win by two. The set goes down as 7–6.
4. Sets: the first pair to win two sets wins the match.
5. Decider: at one set all, play a full third set — or a super tie-break to 10, win by two, which saves 30–40 minutes.

The basics on court

• Serve underarm, bouncing the ball first and striking it at or below waist height, diagonally into the opponents' service box.
• One bounce on your side before you return it — or volley it before it lands.
• The walls are in play: after the ball bounces, it can hit the glass or the fence and you can still return it. Your own shot may also go off your own wall to reach the other side.
• Switch ends after the first game and then every two games — and after every six points in a tie-break.

Players, court and how long it takes

You need exactly four players and one court. A two-set match takes about an hour; a full three-set match can run past 90 minutes, which is why many clubs play a super tie-break decider to fit a 90-minute court booking.

Got more than four players? Rotate partners in an Americano, or keep pairs together in a Team Americano.

Rematches and keeping score

Once a match is done, play another with the same pairs — switching ends — and keep a running series. Across the series, pairs are ranked on matches won, then set difference, then sets won.

Run a regular matchup with BAYmericano

1. Create the event and pick regular matchup as the format, then set the date, start time and courts.
2. Share the invite link in the group chat. Players add themselves; anyone past the courts' capacity goes on a waitlist.
3. Set the two pairs — by hand or at random — and the match goes on the first court.
4. Enter scores on the court card — tap a pair, pick their points, and the standings update straight away. Put the club screen on a TV so everyone can follow.

It's free, runs in the browser, and nobody needs an account to join. Start a tournament →

Frequently asked questions