The TennisPools blog
Pool strategy & US Open 2026
Bracket formats, survivor tactics, seed stats, and how to run a pool your group actually finishes — building up to the US Open (draw ~August 27, first ball August 30).
What Is a Tennis Bracket Pool? The Format, Explained
How a tennis bracket pool works: pick the winners of a Grand Slam draw, points double every round, and the bracket scores itself. The full format, explained.
US Open 2026: Dates Every Pool Player Should Know
The US Open 2026 calendar for pool players: draw day around August 27, first ball Sunday August 30, finals by September 13 — and what locks when.
Full Draw vs Sweet 16: Picking the Right Format for Your Group
TennisPools' two bracket formats compared — the 127-pick Full Draw and the 15-pick Sweet 16 — and how to choose the right one for your group.
Men's-Only and Women's-Only Pools: Why We Split Them
Every TennisPools pool follows one draw — men's or women's singles, never both. The reasons: two separate brackets, different match formats, cleaner games.
How Seeds Actually Perform at Majors (and What It Means for Your Picks)
What seeding really guarantees at a Grand Slam — how the draw protects the top 32, where that protection ends, and how to use it in bracket and survivor pools.
Running a US Open Pool at the Office
A practical playbook for an office US Open pool: picking a format coworkers will finish, handling money cleanly, and running it all with one link.
Upsets and Your Bracket: When to Back a Qualifier
When backing a qualifier or upset pick makes sense in a US Open pool — the point math by round, the compounding risk, and the survivor-pool exception.
Draw Day Explained: What Happens When the Bracket Drops
What actually happens on US Open draw day — how 128 players land in the bracket, why seed placement matters, and your first-hour checklist as a pool player.
Last 48 Hours: Getting Your Group's Picks in Before Play
A commissioner's checklist for the final 48 hours before the US Open's first ball: what locks Sunday, chasing stragglers, tiebreakers, and buy-ins.
Opening Day Survival Guide for Pool Commissioners
The US Open starts tomorrow. What locks at the first ball, what runs automatically, how retirements and missed picks are handled — and what's still open late.
Reading done. Pool time.
Survivor or Bracket, men's or women's draw — setting one up takes a minute, and pools with up to 5 members are free.