Tennis made
modern

Losing a match when you felt like the better player is one of the toughest parts of junior tennis. It stings because it feels like a step backward, but it's usually just a timing or mindset glitch. The "should beat" trap usually happens when you start playing the person's rating or reputation instead of the ball. When you expect to win easily, you might get frustrated if they play well, or you might play too safely to avoid a "bad" loss. Either way, it takes you out of your aggressive, natural game. Don't bin the match—extract one lesson. Ask yourself:

1. Was it tactical? Did they "pusher" you into errors, or did they have one weapon you didn't account for?
2. Was it mental? Did you get tight once they stayed close in the score?

Short answer: You usually earn more points by going deep (Semifinals or better) in a Level 5 than by winning just one or two rounds in a Level 4. USTA uses a Points Per Round (PPR) system. Higher-level tournaments (like an L4) offer more total points, but you have to win multiple rounds against tougher fields to "unlock" them. Winning an L5 gives you 300 pts. To get close to that in an L4, you would need to reach the Semifinals. If you "take a shot" at an L4 and lose in the Round of 32, you only walk away with 54 pts — about the same as reaching the Round of 16 in an L5.