Why Does the Serve
Change Every Point
After 10-10?
Table tennis does not add a new scoring rule at deuce - what changes is only how often the serve switches. Here is exactly what happens and why.
The short answer
At 10-10 (deuce), the serve alternates after every single point instead of every 2. This continues until one player wins by 2 clear points. The win-by-2 requirement itself is not special to deuce - it applies for the whole game.
Normally, each player serves 2 points in a row before the serve passes to their opponent. At deuce, that frequency tightens to 1 point per server.
A common misconception
Because tennis introduces a whole new scoring structure at deuce (advantage, ad-in, ad-out), many players assume table tennis does something similar. It does not.
Win-by-2 already applies throughout an entire table tennis game, not just at 10-10. The only thing that changes at deuce is the serve frequency, tightening from every 2 points to every 1 point.
Why it exists
Serving is a meaningful advantage in table tennis - the server chooses the spin, placement, and pace of the first shot. Serving 2 points in a row compounds that advantage.
Alternating every point at deuce keeps that advantage balanced when the game is on the line, so neither player benefits from an extra consecutive serve in the most pressure-filled moments.
Does Scorepion support it?
Yes. Scorepion automatically switches to single-point serve alternation once the score reaches 10-10 (or the equivalent deuce score in a 21-point game), so there is no need to track it manually.
