VII. THE COMPETITION VII. THE COMPETITION Special Exempt Awarded if Player Is in Semis? Case:  A tournament has a Saturday final and a player asks for a  special exempt after he wins his quarterfinal match on Thursday. Is  he eligible? visor or Player Relations staff, he must accept the Special exempt, if eligible, or  be subject to the applicable withdrawal/late withdrawal penalties. Decision:  No. The player must be scheduled to play on Saturday  when the “qualifying begins”.  Case: A player is a potential special exempt for one or more  Challenger tournaments. Can he also preserve his eligibility on an  original acceptance list? Decision: Yes. A player who is a possible special exempt may also  preserve his eligibility on an original acceptance list, however the  player may only preserve his eligibility on one list. NOTE : If he preserves his eligibility on an original acceptance list  and gets in that main draw before he has completed his match for  the special exempt spot, he would be removed as a possible special  exempt. Conversely, if he wins his match and thus becomes the  special exempt before he is accepted in the main draw from the  original acceptance list, his name would be removed from eligibil- ity on the original acceptance list. He is obligated to compete at  whichever tournament he gets in the main draw first. Before he is  accepted in the main draw from the original acceptance list, his  name would be removed from eligibility on the original acceptance  list. He is obligated to compete at whichever tournament he gets in  the main draw first. 5)  If, on the day prior to the start of qualifying, a player does not finish his match by  nine (9) p.m. local time at the qualifying site and subsequently loses his match,  then he is not eligible to be signed in for qualifying or for a special exempt; how - ever, he may receive a wild card from the tournament if it is known before the  qualifying draw that he has lost and that no special scheduling shall be required. 6)  A player who does not appear after accepting a special exempt shall be treated  as an entered player and shall receive appropriate penalties. Potential Special Exempt Playing at 9 p.m. Friday Case:  A player is competing in the singles event of a “qualified  event” on the night before the next week’s qualifying. If the player  wins, he will be eligible for a special exempt. His singles match,  however, will not be completed by 9 p.m. local time at the qualifying  site for the next week’s tournament. How does this affect the “com - position of draws” at the next week’s tournament? Decision:  The special exempt slot in the main draw shall be left  available pending the result of the player’s match. The qualifying  draw should be made as required at 9 p.m. unless it is prudent to  wait up to an hour for the match result. If the player vying for the  special exempt loses, then the unused special exempt place shall  be filled by the next player on the original acceptance list*. If the  next player on the original acceptance list is in the qualifying draw,  then he shall be withdrawn and moves into the main draw. The  vacancy created in the qualifying draw shall be filled from the quali - fying alternate list.  * For ATP Challenger Tour events, the vacancy is filled from the next  player on the Acceptance List who properly preserved his eligibility  at that event. Potential Special Exempt Loses: After 9 p.m. Potential Special Exempt Playing at Midnight Friday Case:  A potential special exempt player loses his match at 9:15  p.m. on Friday night and he calls the qualifying sign-in site request - ing that he be given a wild card into the singles qualifying competi- tion. May a wild card be given to him for the next week’s tournament  if the qualifying draw has not been made? Decision:  Yes. The wild card belongs to the tournament, which may  give it to this player as long as the draw has not been made and  no special scheduling is required because of the travel plans of the  player.  Case:  Same situation as above, except that the player’s match is  still in progress after midnight. Does this make the player eligible  for a special exempt based on the fact that he was still competing  on the date the qualifying competition begins in another qualified  event? Decision: No. For the purpose of the rule, competing on the date  the qualifying competition begins shall be defined as: “Starting or re - suming a match as part of that day’s (normally Saturday) scheduled  program”. If the player wins the match, he is eligible to be consid - ered for a special exempt position. 127 126 Case: A player is listed as a possible Special Exempt and the  Supervisor confirms with him that he is interested in the spot. There  are other Special Exempt players ahead of him on the list of possi- ble Special Exempts whose matches are scheduled after his. No  Must I Appear for Play After Accepting a Special Exempt? Decision:  No. If the player does not contact the Supervisor or  Player Relations staff member no later than one hour following the  completion of the match that qualified him, to accept the Special Ex - empt spot, he will be taken off the list of possible Special Exempts.  Case:  A player expresses an interest in a Special Exempt spot prior  to the match that will qualify him for the position and becomes a  possible Special Exempt. He does not contact the Supervisor or  Player Relations staff member to accept the Special Exempt within  one hour after the completion of the match that qualifies him. Is he  kept on the list of possible Special Exempts? Am I kept on the Special Exempt List? Case:   A player has won a position as a Special Exempt but he is  also next on the Acceptance List. After the draw is made, but prior  to the start of the qualifying competition, there is a late withdraw- al and the player gets in due to the withdrawal. Does his status  change from SE to Direct Acceptance, thus allowing the Special Ex - empt to go to the next player who earned the Special Exempt spot? Decision:  Yes, since the player ultimately got in because he was  next on the list, this frees up the Special Exempt for the next player  who earned it. If there are no Special Exempts, the list drops by the  applicable number of spots.