Guides
FAST4 tennis rules
FAST4 is Tennis Australia's short match format. A match is best of three sets, and each set goes to four games. At 3-3 you play a tiebreak to five points, with one deciding point at 4-4. Every deuce game ends on a single deciding point, and the receiver picks the side. A serve that clips the net and lands in the box is in play, not replayed.
Those four changes (short sets, the short tiebreak, no-ad and no lets) are the whole format. Everything else is ordinary tennis, and the tennis glossary covers the general terms. A finished match reads something like 4-2 3-4 4-3(3): two sets to the winner, the last one through a tiebreak won 5-3.
What are the FAST4 rules?
Tennis Australia publishes the rules in Appendix D of its 2026 Australian Competitive Play Open Regulations. Its scoring page gives the same summary in one line: sets to four games, a tiebreak at 3-3 and no-advantage scoring.
| Rule | What it means on court |
|---|---|
| Best of three sets | Win two FAST4 sets to win the match |
| Sets to four games | The first to four games wins the set. There is no two-game margin, so 4-3 is a finished set |
| Tiebreak at 3-3 | A short tiebreak decides the set, first to five points |
| Deciding point at 4-4 in the tiebreak | No margin of two. One point settles it, so a tiebreak ends anywhere from 5-0 to 5-4 |
| No-ad scoring | At 40-40 the next point wins the game, and the receiver chooses the side |
| No lets on serve | A serve that touches the net and lands in the correct box is in play |
How does the FAST4 tiebreak work?
The player due to serve takes the first two points, starting from the right half of the court. The opponent serves the next two, also starting from the right. Then two points each again. Players change ends once, after the first four points.
If the tiebreak reaches 4-4, the player who received the first point serves the last one. In doubles, that player's partner serves it. The receiver chooses whether to take it from the right or the left. The winner of that point wins the tiebreak 5-4 and the set 4-3.
The ITF approves the same five-point tiebreak for short sets, in Appendix VI of the Rules of Tennis, but leaves the order of serves to each sanctioning body. Tennis Australia's order is the one above.
What does the no-let rule change?
Normally a serve that clips the net and lands in the box is a let, and the server serves again. FAST4 drops that replay for the whole match, a match tiebreak included.
In doubles, either player on the receiving team may return a net-cord serve that lands in the right box. If a player calls a let by mistake, Tennis Australia treats the call as an accidental hindrance under Rule 26.
How does no-ad scoring work?
No-ad isn't tied to FAST4. You can play it in any format. Games run love, 15, 30, 40 as usual. At 40-40, instead of advantage and two points in a row, one deciding point wins the game.
The receiver chooses which side to receive that point from. In doubles, the receiving team cannot swap positions for it. In mixed doubles, the player of the same gender as the server receives the deciding point.
No-ad also shortens a match by itself. When Tennis Australia's referees have to cut formats to finish a tournament, adding no-ad scoring is the first change on their list, ahead of any shorter set format.
There is a cost. A deciding point at deuce ends the long games, and it takes away the second chance. At 40-40 a weaker player needs one good point, where advantage asks for two in a row. Some players dislike it for that reason. Settle it before the match starts.
Is FAST4 the same as short sets?
No. Short sets also run to four games, but the ITF and Tennis Australia versions keep a two-game margin. Under Tennis Australia's short sets, the tiebreak comes at 4-4 and goes to seven points, won by two. A FAST4 set can't reach 4-4, because the tiebreak starts at 3-3.
The ITF allows a short-set tiebreak at 3-3 instead, at the organizer's discretion. So "short sets" alone does not settle the format. When you agree to play, say where the tiebreak starts (3-3 or 4-4) and how many points it runs to.
How does FAST4 compare with a pro set and best of three?
Tennis Australia publishes average match lengths for the formats in its own tournaments. They come from competition play, and your court may run slower or faster.
| FAST4 | Eight-game pro set | Best of three tiebreak sets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | Best of three sets to four games | One set to eight games, by two | Best of three sets to six games, by two |
| Tiebreak | To five at 3-3, deciding point at 4-4 | Seven points at 8-8 | Seven points at 6-6 |
| Deuce | No-ad | Advantage unless agreed | Advantage unless agreed |
| Serve that clips the net and lands in | In play | Replayed as a let | Replayed as a let |
| Fewest games in a finished match | 8 (4-0 4-0) | 8 (8-0) | 12 (6-0 6-0) |
| Most games in a finished match | 21 (4-3 3-4 4-3) | 17 (9-8) | 39 (7-6 6-7 7-6) |
| Tennis Australia published average | 48 minutes | Not published | 90 minutes |
The game counts treat a set tiebreak as one game.
A pro set is one long set, with no second set to regroup in. The pro set guide covers its tiebreak and score notation. FAST4 keeps a three-set shape inside a short match. An early bad patch costs you a set and leaves the match open.
A ten-point match tiebreak is a third option for a short slot: two full or short sets, then a tiebreak in place of the third. Tennis Australia lists two FAST4 sets plus a match tiebreak at an average of 34 minutes.
Is FAST4 a fair format for a ladder match?
Will it fit a one-hour booking?
For a 45 to 60 minute booking, FAST4 is one of the few formats that fits. Tennis Australia's 48-minute average leaves about 12 minutes of an hour for the warm-up. Because it is an average, some matches run longer, and a 45-minute slot is tight. A best-of-three tiebreak-set match averages 90 minutes, which an hour can't hold. One tiebreak set averages 30 minutes and fits easily, but one set decides everything.
Is the result fair?
For standings, FAST4 is fair where it counts: both players play the same rules, and the better player still has to win two sets. It is less forgiving than advantage tennis, though. Fewer games per set and single deciding points give the stronger player fewer chances to pull ahead, so expect more close results and more upsets than over three full sets. If your ladder exists to sort close players precisely, keep longer formats for the slots that allow them.
How do you agree FAST4 before the match?
Settle these before either of you books:
- Name the format in writing: "FAST4, Tennis Australia rules, tiebreak to five at 3-3, deciding point at 4-4, no lets."
- Confirm your ladder accepts FAST4. A format the ladder does not accept cannot be recorded.
- Agree what happens if the booking runs out mid-set. Running out of court time is not a result, so plan to finish on another court or another day.
- Who books the court, and how you split the cost.
FAST4 sits in Tennis Australia's own competition regulations, which gives an Australian club ladder a published rulebook to point players to. The guide to challenge ladders in Australia covers how a ladder runs alongside club play.
How does Deuce Ladder record a FAST4 match?
FAST4 is one of the six formats a Deuce ladder can accept, and the organizer picks which ones (rules, section 8). By default, a new ladder accepts only best of three tiebreak sets. Ask your organizer to add FAST4 before you play it.
The winner reports the score and selects FAST4. Sets run to four. A 4-3 set needs its tiebreak points, from 5-0 to 5-4, and a 5-4 tiebreak shows as 4-3(4).
The form rejects a 6-4 or 7-5 FAST4 tiebreak, because the deciding point at 4-4 makes those scores impossible. It also rejects a score that does not finish the match. No-ad is an option inside a format, not a format, so there's nothing extra to enter. The scoring page lists every format and how points are awarded.
Deuce is not the right fit for every short format. Its short-set format puts the tiebreak at 3-3 and plays it to seven. If your group plays Tennis Australia's short sets, with the tiebreak at 4-4, a 5-3 or 5-4 set cannot be recorded. Timed matches cannot be recorded either. For those, a group's own score sheet works better than a ladder.
If FAST4 suits your hour, find a ladder near me and check that it's on the list.
Sources and last verified
Last verified: November 5, 2026.
- Tennis Australia, 2026 Australian Competitive Play Open Regulations, Appendix D, Scoring Formats (updated September 4, 2026).
- Tennis Australia, Scoring system.
- ITF, Rules of Tennis 2026, Rule 22 and Appendix VI.
- Deuce Ladder rules, section 8, and scoring.