Table tennis is a fast-paced and exciting sport that requires skill, strategy, and quick reflexes. To win a game of table tennis, a player or team must be the first to score 11 points and have at least a two-point advantage over their opponent. If both players have earned 10 points, the first player to gain a two-point advantage wins the game. A match is the best of five games.
Under the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rules, the only way to win a game is to reach 11 points and have two points more than your opponent. If both players have 10 points, the first player to gain a two-point advantage will win the game. Until 2001, table tennis was played with 21 points, so there is still some confusion regarding the scoring system. When playing table tennis, it's important to remember that if you trim the edge of the table, that's your point, but if you hit one side, it'll be your opponent's.
The five-fifth services will be the same, but each player will deliver only one service per turn until the end of the game. Players can serve anywhere on the table in singles, but you must serve from your right half to your opponent's right half in doubles. Most sets end in 11, but if the score reaches 10-10, the game could theoretically last forever since players need to have a two-point difference to close the game. A point is awarded to a player when their opponent cannot return the ball to their side of the table.
It's perfectly legal to hit the ball around the net as long as it doesn't hit the side of the table. In each game, the initial order of reception will be opposite of that of the immediately preceding game. The only exception is when the score is tied at 10-10, in which athletes must continue playing until one of them can win by two. Team matches consist of four singles matches and one doubles match, each of which is played to the best of five games.
