Pickleball Scoring & Positioning – Rally Scoring

In 2025, USA Pickleball provisionally recognized the introduction of rally scoring for both singles and certain doubles formats, which marks a significant evolution in the game’s scoring options. For USA Pickleball Sanctioned Tournaments, tournament directors now have the option to use Doubles rally scoring for Round-Robin and Team Play. Singles rally scoring can also be used for Double-Elimination play.

RALLY SCORING EXPLAINED

Service Sequence and Scoring – Rally Scoring Singles

• The difference between Side Out Scored Singles and Rally Scored Singles is that a point is awarded for each rally, either to the server or to the receiver.
• Player positions follow the same pattern as Traditional Side Out singles. The Servers align according to their score.
• After every side out the new server will serve diagonally from the side of the court that corresponds to their score. Right court is even score and left side is odd score.
• Games must be won by a two-point margin and can continue past the scheduled game point until a two-point margin is obtained, same as traditional scoring.
• No points are awarded when a player is at game point and their opponent loses their serve. 

Scoring Examples:

• Starting the game. Starting server will serve diagonally from the right or even court at a score of 0 - 0.
• If the server wins the rally, they will change sides and will serve from the left or odd side at 1 – 0.
• When the serving player loses a rally, a point is awarded to the opponent as a Side Out and a Point is added to their score.
• In a 15 – point game, if the serving player has 14 points, they can serve to win provided their opponent has less than 14 points.
• If players are tied at 14 in a 15-point game, a point is still awarded to the winner of the rally making the score 15 – 14.
• If the serving player serves at 15 – 14 and loses the rally the new score will be 15 – 15 with their opponent serving.

Rally Scoring Doubles

• The approved format for Rally Scoring doubles allows for servers to serve to both of their opponents and serve from both sides of the court.
• In Rally Scoring Doubles a point is awarded either to the serving team or the receiving team at the end of each rally.
• The Winning Team must win by two points.
• The Winning Team must win the rally on their service.
• In Rally Scoring Doubles each team serves until they lose a rally, then the opponent will be awarded a point and will serve. There is no Second Server in Rally Scoring.
• The team starting the game will designate a Starting Server who will always serve from the Even or Right side of the court when their score is even. They will serve from the Left or Odd side when their score is odd. Just like Traditional Scoring.
• The starting score is 0 – 0, since there is no Second Server in Rally Scoring.
• When the serving team wins the rally, the server and their partner change positions. When the serving team’s score is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8,10) the player who was the first server in the game for that team will be in the right-side court when serving or receiving and when the score is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) that player will be in the left-side court when serving or receiving.
• When the serving team loses a rally, there is a Side Out and their opponents are awarded a point. Their server will be the server that corresponds to their new score. Even score will be the starting server, and odd score will be the non-starting server. The serve after a side out is always initiated from the right court.
• The serving teams players must change positions after every side out.
• The game must be won by the serving team. If the serving team loses a rally while the opponent is at a game point score, no point is awarded, and the game continues. There is no “freeze”. The opponent will receive a point if the serving team fails to win the rally even at game point.
• The game must be won by a two-point margin. The game may extend past the scheduled end point to accommodate the two-point margin.

Scoring Examples:

• Starting the game. The Starting server will serve diagonally from the right or even court at a score of 0 -0.
• If they win the rally the serving team players will change sides, and the staring server will serve from the left or odd side at 1 – 0.
• When the starting serving team loses a rally a point is awarded to the opponent who now is the serving team as a Side Out and Point.
• The new serving team players will always change positions to align with the score.
• In a 15 – point game, if the serving team has 14 points, they can serve to win provided their opponent has less than 14 points.
• If teams are tied at 14 in a 15-point game, a point is still awarded to the winner of the rally making the score 15 – 14.
• If the serving team serves at 15 – 14 and loses the rally the new score will be 15 – 15 with their opponents serving.

Learn About Side Out Scoring