How to run an Americano evening: a step-by-step guide for organizers

Four players fill a court, so the ideal group is a multiple of four: 8 players on 2 courts, 12 on 3, 16 on 4. Then nobody sits out and everyone partners every other player exactly once over a full rotation.

Other numbers work too. With 10 players on 2 courts, two players sit out each round and everyone takes their turn on the bench. Decide in advance how sit-outs count: no points, the player’s average, or half the points of a match. Crediting the average is the fairest when not everyone sits out equally often.

A round lasts about as long as its match, plus a couple of minutes to change courts and partners. As a rule of thumb, including the changeover:

• 16 points: about 11 minutes per round
• 21 points: about 14 minutes per round
• 24 points: about 15 minutes per round
• 32 points: about 20 minutes per round

With two hours on 2 courts and 8 players, seven rounds to 24 points fit exactly and give everyone a full rotation. If the courts are booked for 90 minutes, play to 16 or 21 points, or play fewer rounds. You can also give every round a fixed time instead and play as many points as fit: the app shows a countdown for each round.

Send the time, the address and how the evening works to everyone the day before. On the day, a few minutes of preparation save a lot of shouting:

• Enter the players and courts in the app, or have last week’s list ready.
• Put the scoreboard on a TV or a laptop by the courts.
• Print the QR poster or have the live link ready, so players can follow the standings on their phones.
• Agree on the serve rotation, for example two serves each, and on what happens at a tie.

Start round 1 on time and announce each new round clearly: who plays on which court with whom. After each match, one player per court reports the score, or the organizer enters all scores at once. The standings update for everyone as the scores come in.

Late arrivals, injuries and no-shows are part of every social evening. In the app you add a late arrival or withdraw a player, and only the rounds that haven’t started are drawn again; finished rounds and their scores never change. The same goes for losing or adding a court.

In an Americano each player collects the points their pair wins, so the player with the most points wins the evening. Ties are broken by wins and then by point difference. Announce the top three while everyone is still on court: it is the moment people remember.

Small prizes work well, but the social part matters more. Rotating partners means everyone has played with everyone, and the standings are a natural start for the conversation afterwards.

If the levels in your group are far apart, try Mexicano: the same scoring, but each round is drawn from the standings so matches stay close. For a mixed group, Mixed Americano pairs one man and one woman every round. If players want to keep their partner, Team Americano rotates opponents instead.