What happens if I default a match in a junior tournament?
There are two types of defaults that affect players different under US Squash policies—a late withdrawal and a mid-tournament withdrawal.
A player may withdraw without penalty before 12:00pm (noon) in the time zone of the tournament on the Monday prior to the start of the tournament. Any withdrawal after this deadline and before the start of a player’s first match is considered a late withdrawal. Any player who is registered for a tournament and does not appear to play is also considered a late withdrawal. Doctor’s notes are not accepted to waive late withdrawal penalties.
Each player is allowed one late withdrawal in an 11-month period without penalty. If a player incurs a second or more late withdrawals within the same 11-month period, they are penalized by having the tournament(s) count as receiving zero ranking points. The zero-point tournament counts as a tournament exposure and will be treated like any other tournament with regards to rankings.
Any player deemed to have needlessly defaulted out of a tournament once the tournament has begun will receive a mid-tournament default ranking penalty. Players are expected to arrive at each tournament with the intention of playing and completing all scheduled matches. The penalty for a mid-tournament default is a zero-point tournament being added to the player’s record.
If a player begins a tournament but is unable to complete all scheduled matches due to illness or injury, the zero-point mid-tournament default ranking penalty can be waived with a doctor’s note. The doctor’s note must be submitted via email to tournaments@ussquash.com within one week of the last day of the tournament. The doctor’s note cannot be submitted by a family member and must be from an independent source. In this case, the player will receive the lowest amount of points available based on the round achieved at the time of the withdrawal. For instance, if a player defaults a semifinal match, he or she will receive points for a 4th place finish if there was a 3/4 playoff match scheduled. However, if there was no 3/4 playoff matched scheduled, the player would receive points for finishing in the shared 3-4 position.
Visit https://www.ussquash.com/junior/guidelines/ for more information.