document_title: Tennis

question_text: how many games are played in a set in tennis

question_tokens: how many games are played in a set in tennis

text: Tennis

text: History

text: Predecessors

text: Historians believe that the game's ancient origin lay in 12th century northern France, where a ball was struck with the palm of the hand.[3] Louis X of France was a keen player of jeu de paume ("game of the palm"), which evolved into real tennis, and became notable as the first person to construct indoor tennis courts in the modern style. Louis was unhappy with playing tennis outdoors and accordingly had indoor, enclosed courts made in Paris "around the end of the 13th century".[4] In due course this design spread across royal palaces all over Europe.[4] In June 1316 at Vincennes, Val-de-Marne and following a particularly exhausting game, Louis drank a large quantity of cooled wine and subsequently died of either pneumonia or pleurisy, although there was also suspicion of poisoning.[5] Because of the contemporary accounts of his death, Louis X is history's first tennis player known by name.[5] Another of the early enthusiasts of the game was King Charles V of France, who had a court set up at the Louvre Palace.[6]

text: It wasn't until the 16th century that rackets came into use, and the game began to be called "tennis", from the French term tenez, which can be translated as "hold!", "receive!" or "take!", an interjection used as a call from the server to his opponent.[7] It was popular in England and France, although the game was only played indoors where the ball could be hit off the wall. Henry VIII of England was a big fan of this game, which is now known as real tennis.[8] During the 18th and early 19th centuries, as real tennis declined, new racket sports emerged in England.[9]

text: Further, the patenting of the first lawn mower in 1830, in Britain, is strongly believed to have been the catalyst, worldwide, for the preparation of modern-style grass courts, sporting ovals, playing fields, pitches, greens, etc. This in turn led to the codification of modern rules for many sports, including lawn tennis, most football codes, lawn bowls and others.[10]

text: Origins of the modern game

text: Between 1859 and 1865 Harry Gem, a solicitor and his friend Augurio Perera developed a game that combined elements of racquets and the Basque ball game pelota, which they played on Perera's croquet lawn in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom.[11][12] In 1872, along with two local doctors, they founded the world's first tennis club on Avenue Road, Leamington Spa.[13] This is where "lawn tennis" is used as a name of activity by a club for the first time. After Leamington, the second club to take up the game of lawn tennis appears to have been the Edgbaston Archery and Croquet Society, also in Birmingham.

text: In Tennis: A Cultural History, Heiner Gillmeister reveals that on December 8 1874, British army officer Walter Clopton Wingfield wrote to Harry Gem, commenting that he (Wingfield) had been experimenting with his version of lawn tennis “for a year and a half”.[14] In December 1873, Wingfield designed and patented a game which he called sphairistikè (Greek: σφαιριστική, meaning "ball-playing"), and was soon known simply as "sticky" – for the amusement of guests at a garden party on his friend's estate of Nantclwyd Hall, in Llanelidan, Wales.[15] According to R. D. C. Evans, turfgrass agronomist, "Sports historians all agree that [Wingfield] deserves much of the credit for the development of modern tennis."[9][16] According to Honor Godfrey, museum curator at Wimbledon, Wingfield "popularized this game enormously. He produced a boxed set which included a net, poles, rackets, balls for playing the game – and most importantly you had his rules. He was absolutely terrific at marketing and he sent his game all over the world. He had very good connections with the clergy, the law profession, and the aristocracy and he sent thousands of sets out in the first year or so, in 1874."[17] The world's oldest annual tennis tournament took place at Leamington Lawn Tennis Club in Birmingham in 1874.[18] This was three years before the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club would hold its first championships at Wimbledon, in 1877. The first Championships culminated a significant debate on how to standardize the rules.[17]

text: In the U.S. in 1874 Mary Ewing Outerbridge, a young socialite, returned from Bermuda with a sphairistikè set. She became fascinated by the game of tennis after watching British army officers play.[19] She laid out a tennis court at the Staten Island Cricket Club at Camp Washington, Tompkinsville, Staten Island, New York. The first American National championship was played there in September 1880. An Englishman named O.E. Woodhouse won the singles title, and a silver cup worth $100, by defeating Canadian I. F. Hellmuth.[20] There was also a doubles match which was won by a local pair. There were different rules at each club. The ball in Boston was larger than the one normally used in New York.

text: On 21 May 1881, the oldest nationwide tennis organization in the world[21] was formed, the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (now the United States Tennis Association) in order to standardize the rules and organize competitions.[22] The U.S. National Men's Singles Championship, now the US Open, was first held in 1881 at the Newport Casino, Newport, Rhode Island.[23] The U.S. National Women's Singles Championships were first held in 1887 in Philadelphia.[24]

text: Tennis also became popular in France, where the French Championships dates to 1891 although until 1925 it was open only to tennis players who were members of French clubs.[25] Thus, Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open, and the Australian Open (dating to 1905) became and have remained the most prestigious events in tennis.[26][27] Together these four events are called the Majors or Slams (a term borrowed from bridge rather than baseball).[28]

text: The comprehensive rules promulgated in 1924 by the International Lawn Tennis Federation, now known as the International Tennis Federation (ITF), have remained largely stable in the ensuing eighty years, the one major change being the addition of the tiebreak system designed by Jimmy Van Alen.[29] That same year, tennis withdrew from the Olympics after the 1924 Games but returned 60 years later as a 21-and-under demonstration event in 1984. This reinstatement was credited by the efforts by the then ITF President Philippe Chatrier, ITF General Secretary David Gray and ITF Vice President Pablo Llorens, and support from IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. The success of the event was overwhelming and the IOC decided to reintroduce tennis as a full medal sport at Seoul in 1988.[30][31]

text: The Davis Cup, an annual competition between men's national teams, dates to 1900.[32] The analogous competition for women's national teams, the Fed Cup, was founded as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the ITF.[33]

text: In 1926, promoter C. C. Pyle established the first professional tennis tour with a group of American and French tennis players playing exhibition matches to paying audiences.[27][34] The most notable of these early professionals were the American Vinnie Richards and the Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen.[27][35] Once a player turned pro he or she was no longer permitted to compete in the major (amateur) tournaments.[27]

text: In 1968, commercial pressures and rumors of some amateurs taking money under the table led to the abandonment of this distinction, inaugurating the Open Era, in which all players could compete in all tournaments, and top players were able to make their living from tennis. With the beginning of the Open Era, the establishment of an international professional tennis circuit, and revenues from the sale of television rights, tennis's popularity has spread worldwide, and the sport has shed its middle-class English-speaking image[36] (although it is acknowledged that this stereotype still exists).[36][37]

text: In 1954, Van Alen founded the International Tennis Hall of Fame, a non-profit museum in Newport, Rhode Island.[38] The building contains a large collection of tennis memorabilia as well as a hall of fame honouring prominent members and tennis players from all over the world. Each year, a grass court tournament and an induction ceremony honoring new Hall of Fame members are hosted on its grounds.

text: Equipment

text: Part of the appeal of tennis stems from the simplicity of equipment required for play. Beginners need only a racket and balls.

text: Rackets

text: The components of a tennis racket include a handle, known as the grip, connected to a neck which joins a roughly elliptical frame that holds a matrix of tightly pulled strings. For the first 100 years of the modern game, rackets were made of wood and of standard size, and strings were of animal gut. Laminated wood construction yielded more strength in rackets used through most of the 20th century until first metal and then composites of carbon graphite, ceramics, and lighter metals such as titanium were introduced. These stronger materials enabled the production of oversized rackets that yielded yet more power. Meanwhile, technology led to the use of synthetic strings that match the feel of gut yet with added durability.

text: Under modern rules of tennis, the rackets must adhere to the following guidelines;[39]

text:
The hitting area, composed of the strings, must be flat and generally uniform.
The frame of the hitting area may not be more than 29 inches (74 cm) in length and 12.5 inches (32 cm) in width.
The entire racket must be of a fixed shape, size, weight, and weight distribution. There may not be any energy source built into the rackets.
The rackets must not provide any kind of communication, instruction or advice to the player during the match.

text: The rules regarding rackets have changed over time, as material and engineering advances have been made. For example, the maximum length of the frame had been 32 inches (81 cm) until 1997, when it was shortened to 29 inches (74 cm).[40]

text: Many companies manufacture and distribute tennis rackets. Wilson, Head and Babolat are some of the more commonly used brands; however, many more companies exist.[example  needed] The same companies sponsor players to use these rackets in the hopes that the company name will become more well known by the public.

text: Balls

text: Tennis balls were originally made of cloth strips stitched together with thread and stuffed with feathers.[41] Modern tennis balls are made of hollow vulcanized rubber with a felt coating. Traditionally white, the predominant colour was gradually changed to optic yellow in the latter part of the 20th century to allow for improved visibility. Tennis balls must conform to certain criteria for size, weight, deformation, and bounce to be approved for regulation play. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) defines the official diameter as 65.41–68.58 mm (2.575–2.700 in). Balls must weigh between 56.0 and 59.4 g (1.98 and 2.10 oz).[42] Tennis balls were traditionally manufactured in the United States and Europe. Although the process of producing the balls has remained virtually unchanged for the past 100 years, the majority of manufacturing now takes place in the Far East. The relocation is due to cheaper labour costs and materials in the region.[43]

text: Miscellaneous

text: Advanced players improve their performance through a number of accoutrements. Vibration dampeners may be interlaced in the proximal part of the string array for improved feel. Racket handles may be customized with absorbent or rubber-like materials to improve the players' grip. Players often use sweat bands on their wrists to keep their hands dry and head bands or bandanas to keep the sweat out of their eyes as well. Finally, although the game can be played in a variety of shoes, specialized tennis shoes have wide, flat soles for stability and a built-up front structure to avoid excess wear.

text: Manner of play

text: Court

text: Tennis is played on a rectangular, flat surface. The court is 78 feet (23.77 m) long, and 27 feet (8.2 m) wide for singles matches and 36 ft (11 m) for doubles matches.[44] Additional clear space around the court is required in order for players to reach overrun balls. A net is stretched across the full width of the court, parallel with the baselines, dividing it into two equal ends. It is held up by either a metal cable or cord that can be no more than 0.8 cm (1⁄3 in).[45] The net is 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) high at the posts and 3 feet (0.91 m) high in the center.[44] The net posts are 3 feet (0.91 m) outside the doubles court on each side or, for a singles net, 3 feet (0.91 m) outside the singles court on each side.

text: The modern tennis court owes its design to Major Walter Clopton Wingfield. In 1873, Wingfield patented a court much the same as the current one for his stické tennis (sphairistike). This template was modified in 1875 to the court design that exists today, with markings similar to Wingfield's version, but with the hourglass shape of his court changed to a rectangle.[46]

text: Tennis is unusual in that it is played on a variety of surfaces.[47] Grass, clay, and hardcourts of concrete or asphalt topped with acrylic are the most common. Occasionally carpet is used for indoor play, with hardwood flooring having been historically used. Artificial turf courts can also be found.

text: Lines

text: The lines that delineate the width of the court are called the baseline (farthest back) and the service line (middle of the court). The short mark in the center of each baseline is referred to as either the hash mark or the center mark. The outermost lines that make up the length are called the doubles sidelines. These are the boundaries used when doubles is being played. The lines to the inside of the doubles sidelines are the singles sidelines and are used as boundaries in singles play. The area between a doubles sideline and the nearest singles sideline is called the doubles alley, which is considered playable in doubles play. The line that runs across the center of a player's side of the court is called the service line because the serve must be delivered into the area between the service line and the net on the receiving side. Despite its name, this is not where a player legally stands when making a serve.[48]

text: The line dividing the service line in two is called the center line or center service line. The boxes this center line creates are called the service boxes; depending on a player's position, he or she will have to hit the ball into one of these when serving.[49] A ball is out only if none of it has hit the line or the area inside the lines upon its first bounce. All lines are required to be between 1 and 2 inches (25 and 51 mm) in width, with the exception of the baseline which can be up to 4 inches (100 mm) wide (although in practice it is often created the same width as the rest).[48]

text: Play of a single point

text: The players (or teams) start on opposite sides of the net. One player is designated the server, and the opposing player is the receiver. The choice to be server or receiver in the first game and the choice of ends is decided by a coin toss before the warm-up starts. Service alternates game by game between the two players (or teams). For each point, the server starts behind the baseline, between the center mark and the sideline. The receiver may start anywhere on their side of the net. When the receiver is ready, the server will serve, although the receiver must play to the pace of the server.

text: In a legal service, the ball travels over the net (without touching it) and into the diagonally opposite service box. If the ball hits the net but lands in the service box, this is a let or net service, which is void, and the server retakes that serve. The player can serve any number of let services in a point and they are always treated as voids and not as faults. A fault is a serve that falls long or wide of the service box, or does not clear the net. There is also a "foot fault", which occurs when a player's foot touches the baseline or an extension of the center mark before the ball is hit. If the second service is also a fault, the server double faults, and the receiver wins the point. However, if the serve is in, it is considered a legal service.

text: A legal service starts a rally, in which the players alternate hitting the ball across the net. A legal return consists of the player or team hitting the ball before it has bounced twice or hit any fixtures except the net, provided that it still falls in the server's court. A player or team cannot hit the ball twice in a row. The ball must travel past the net into the other players' court. A ball that hits the net during a rally is still considered a legal return as long as it crosses into the opposite side of the court. The first player or team to fail to make a legal return loses the point. The server then moves to the other side of the service line at the start of a new point.[50]

text: Scoring

text: Game, set, match

text: Game

text: A game consists of a sequence of points played with the same player serving. A game is won by the first player to have won at least four points in total and at least two points more than the opponent. The running score of each game is described in a manner peculiar to tennis: scores from zero to three points are described as "love", "15", "30", and "40", respectively. If at least three points have been scored by each player, making the player's scores equal at 40 apiece, the score is not called out as "40-40", but rather as "deuce". If at least three points have been scored by each side and a player has one more point than his opponent, the score of the game is "advantage" for the player in the lead. During informal games, "advantage" can also be called "ad in" or "van in" when the serving player is ahead, and "ad out" or "van out" when the receiving player is ahead.

text: The score of a tennis game during play is always read with the serving player's score first. In tournament play, the chair umpire calls the point count (e.g., "15-love") after each point. At the end of a game, the chair umpire also announces the winner of the game and the overall score.

text: Set

text: A set consists of a sequence of games played with service alternating between games, ending when the count of games won meets certain criteria. Typically, a player wins a set by winning at least six games and at least two games more than the opponent. If one player has won six games and the opponent five, an additional game is played. If the leading player wins that game, the player wins the set 7–5. If the trailing player wins the game (tying the set 6–6) a tie-break is played. A tie-break, played under a separate set of rules, allows one player to win one more game and thus the set, to give a final set score of 7–6. A "love" set means that the loser of the set won zero games, colloquially termed a 'jam donut' in the USA.[51] In tournament play, the chair umpire announces the winner of the set and the overall score. The final score in sets is always read with the winning player's score first, e.g. "6–2, 4–6, 6–0, 7–5".

text: Match

text: A match consists of a sequence of sets. The outcome is determined through a best of three or five sets system. On the professional circuit, men play best-of-five-set matches at all four Grand Slam tournaments, Davis Cup, and the final of the Olympic Games and best-of-three-set matches at all other tournaments, while women play best-of-three-set matches at all tournaments. The first player to win two sets in a best-of-three, or three sets in a best-of-five, wins the match.[52] Only in the final sets of matches at the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, the Olympic Games, Davis Cup (until 2015), and Fed Cup are tie-breaks not played. In these cases, sets are played indefinitely until one player has a two-game lead, leading to some remarkably long matches.

text: In tournament play, the chair umpire announces the end of the match with the well-known phrase "Game, set, match" followed by the winning person's or team's name.

text: Special point terms

text: Game point

text: A game point occurs in tennis whenever the player who is in the lead in the game needs only one more point to win the game. The terminology is extended to sets (set point), matches (match point), and even championships (championship point). For example, if the player who is serving has a score of 40-love, the player has a triple game point (triple set point, etc.) as the player has three consecutive chances to win the game. Game points, set points, and match points are not part of official scoring and are not announced by the chair umpire in tournament play.

text: Break point

text: A break point occurs if the receiver, not the server, has a chance to win the game with the next point. Break points are of particular importance because serving is generally considered advantageous, with servers being expected to win games in which they are serving. A receiver who has one (score of 30–40 or advantage), two (score of 15–40) or three (score of love-40) consecutive chances to win the game has break point, double break point or triple break point, respectively. If the receiver does, in fact, win their break point, the game is awarded to the receiver, and the receiver is said to have converted their break point. If the receiver fails to win their break point it is called a failure to convert. Winning break points, and thus the game, is also referred to as breaking serve, as the receiver has disrupted, or broken the natural advantage of the server. If in the following game the previous server also wins a break point it is referred to as breaking back. Except where tie-breaks apply, at least one break of serve is required to win a set.

text: Rule variations

text: No ad

text: Pro set

text: Match tie-break

text: Another, however informal, tennis format is called Canadian doubles. This involves three players, with one person playing a doubles team. The single player gets to utilize the alleys normally reserved only for a doubles team. Conversely, the doubles team does not use the alleys when executing a shot. The scoring is the same as a regular game. This format is not sanctioned by any official body.

text: "Australian doubles", another informal and unsanctioned form of tennis, is played with similar rules to the Canadian doubles style, only in this version, players rotate court position after each game. As such, each player plays doubles and singles over the course of a match, with the singles player always serving. Scoring styles vary, but one popular method is to assign a value of 2 points to each game, with the server taking both points if he or she holds serve and the doubles team each taking one if they break serve.

text: Wheelchair tennis can be played by able-bodied players as well as people who require a wheelchair for mobility. An extra bounce is permitted. This rule makes it possible to have mixed wheelchair and able-bodied matches. It is possible for a doubles team to consist of a wheelchair player and an able-bodied player (referred to as "one-up, one-down"), or for a wheelchair player to play against an able-bodied player. In such cases, the extra bounce is permitted for the wheelchair users only.

text: Officials

text: In most professional play and some amateur competition, there is an officiating head judge or chair umpire (usually referred to as the umpire), who sits in a raised chair to one side of the court. The umpire has absolute authority to make factual determinations. The umpire may be assisted by line judges, who determine whether the ball has landed within the required part of the court and who also call foot faults. There also may be a net judge who determines whether the ball has touched the net during service. The umpire has the right to overrule a line judge or a net judge if the umpire is sure that a clear mistake has been made.[55]

text: In some tournaments, line judges who would be calling the serve, were assisted by electronic sensors that beeped to indicate the serve was out. This system was called "Cyclops".[56] Cyclops has since largely been replaced by the Hawk-Eye system.[57][58] In professional tournaments using this system, players are allowed three unsuccessful appeals per set, plus one additional appeal in the tie-break to challenge close line calls by means of an electronic review. The US Open, Miami Masters, US Open Series, and World Team Tennis started using this challenge system in 2006 and the Australian Open and Wimbledon introduced the system in 2007.[59] In clay-court matches, such as at the French Open, a call may be questioned by reference to the mark left by the ball's impact on the court surface.

text: The referee, who is usually located off the court, is the final authority about tennis rules. When called to the court by a player or team captain, the referee may overrule the umpire's decision if the tennis rules were violated (question of law) but may not change the umpire's decision on a question of fact. If, however, the referee is on the court during play, the referee may overrule the umpire's decision (This would only happen in Davis Cup or Fed Cup matches, not at the World Group level, when a chair umpire from a non-neutral country is in the chair).[55]

text: Ball boys and girls may be employed to retrieve balls, pass them to the players, and hand players their towels. They have no adjudicative role. In rare events (e.g., if they are hurt or if they have caused a hindrance), the umpire may ask them for a statement of what actually happened. The umpire may consider their statements when making a decision. In some leagues, especially junior leagues, players make their own calls, trusting each other to be honest. This is the case for many school and university level matches. The referee or referee's assistant, however, can be called on court at a player's request, and the referee or assistant may change a player's call. In unofficiated matches, a ball is out only if the player entitled to make the call is sure that the ball is out.

text: Junior tennis

text: In tennis, a junior is a player under 18 who is still legally protected by a parent or guardian. Players on the main adult tour who are under 18 must have documents signed by a parent or guardian. These players, however, are still eligible to play in junior tournaments.

text: The International Tennis Federation (ITF) conducts a junior tour that allows juniors to establish a world ranking and an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) or Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranking. Most juniors who enter the international circuit do so by progressing through ITF, Satellite, Future, and Challenger tournaments before entering the main circuit. The latter three circuits also have adults competing in them. Some juniors, however, such as Australian Lleyton Hewitt and Frenchman Gaël Monfils, have catapulted directly from the junior tour to the ATP tour by dominating the junior scene or by taking advantage of opportunities given to them to participate in professional tournaments.

text: In 2004, the ITF implemented a new rankings scheme to encourage greater participation in doubles, by combining two rankings (singles and doubles) into one combined tally.[60] Junior tournaments do not offer prize money except for the Grand Slam tournaments, which are the most prestigious junior events. Juniors may earn income from tennis by participating in the Future, Satellite, or Challenger tours. Tournaments are broken up into different tiers offering different amounts of ranking points, culminating with Grade A.

text: Leading juniors are allowed to participate for their nation in the Junior Fed Cup and Davis Cup competitions. To succeed in tennis often means having to begin playing at a young age. To facilitate and nurture a junior's growth in tennis, almost all tennis playing nations have developed a junior development system. Juniors develop their play through a range of tournaments on all surfaces, accommodating all different standards of play. Talented juniors may also receive sponsorships from governing bodies or private institutions.

text: Match play

text: Continuity

text: A tennis match is intended to be continuous.[61] Because stamina is a relevant factor, arbitrary delays are not permitted. In most cases, service is required to occur no more than 20 seconds after the end of the previous point.[61] This is increased to 90 seconds when the players change ends (after every odd-numbered game), and a 2-minute break is permitted between sets.[61] Other than this, breaks are permitted only when forced by events beyond the players' control, such as rain, damaged footwear, damaged racket, or the need to retrieve an errant ball. Should a player be determined to be stalling repeatedly, the chair umpire may initially give a warning followed by subsequent penalties of "point", "game", and default of the match for the player who is consistently taking longer than the allowed time limit.[62]

text: In the event of a rain delay, darkness or other external conditions halting play, the match is resumed at a later time, with the same score as at the time of the delay, and the players at the same end of the court when rain halted play, or at the same position (north or south) if play is resumed on a different court.

text: Ball changes

text: Balls wear out quickly in serious play and, therefore, in ATP and WTA tournaments, they are changed after every nine games with the first change occurring after only seven games, because the first set of balls is also used for the pre-match warm-up.[42] As a courtesy to the receiver, the server will often signal to the receiver before the first serve of the game in which new balls are used as a reminder that they are using new balls. However, in ITF tournaments like Fed Cup, the balls are changed in a 9–11 style. Continuity of the balls' condition is considered part of the game, so if a re-warm-up is required after an extended break in play (usually due to rain), then the re-warm-up is done using a separate set of balls, and use of the match balls is resumed only when play resumes.

text: On-court coaching

text: A recent rule change is to allow coaching on court on a limited basis during a match.[63][64][65][66] This has been introduced in women's tennis for WTA Tour events in 2009 and allows the player to request her coach once per set.[67]

text: Shots

text: A competent tennis player has eight basic shots in his or her repertoire: the serve, forehand, backhand, volley, half-volley, overhead smash, drop shot, and lob.

text: Grip

text: A grip is a way of holding the racket in order to hit shots during a match. The grip affects the angle of the racket face when it hits the ball and influences the pace, spin, and placement of the shot. Players use various grips during play, including the Continental (The "Handshake Grip"), Eastern (Can be either semi-eastern or full eastern. Usually used for backhands.), and Western (semi-western or full western, usually for forehand grips) grips. Most players change grips during a match depending on what shot they are hitting; for example, slice shots and serves call for a Continental grip.[68]

text: Serve

text: A serve (or, more formally, a "service") in tennis is a shot to start a point. The serve is initiated by tossing the ball into the air and hitting it (usually near the apex of its trajectory) into the diagonally opposite service box without touching the net. The serve may be hit under- or overhand although underhand serving remains a rarity.[69] If the ball hits the net on the first serve and bounces over into the correct diagonal box then it is called a "let" and the server gets two more additional serves to get it in. There can also be a let if the server serves the ball and the receiver isn't prepared.[70] If the server misses his or her first serve and gets a let on the second serve, then they get one more try to get the serve in the box.

text: Experienced players strive to master the conventional overhand serve to maximize its power and placement. The server may employ different types of serve including flat serve, topspin serve, slice serve, and kick (American twist) serve. A reverse type of spin serve is hit in a manner that spins the ball opposite the natural spin of the server, the spin direction depending upon right- or left-handedness. If the ball is spinning counterclockwise, it will curve right from the hitter's point of view and curve left if spinning clockwise.[71]

text: Some servers are content to use the serve simply to initiate the point; however, advanced players often try to hit a winning shot with their serve. A winning serve that is not touched by the opponent is called an "ace".

text: Forehand

text: For a right-handed player, the forehand is a stroke that begins on the right side of the body, continues across the body as contact is made with the ball, and ends on the left side of the body. There are various grips for executing the forehand, and their popularity has fluctuated over the years. The most important ones are the continental, the eastern, the semi-western, and the western. For a number of years, the small, frail 1920s player Bill Johnston was considered by many to have had the best forehand of all time, a stroke that he hit shoulder-high using a western grip. Few top players used the western grip after the 1920s, but in the latter part of the 20th century, as shot-making techniques and equipment changed radically, the western forehand made a strong comeback and is now used by many modern players. No matter which grip is used, most forehands are generally executed with one hand holding the racket, but there have been fine players with two-handed forehands. In the 1940s and 50s, the Ecuadorian/American player Pancho Segura used a two-handed forehand to achieve a devastating effect against larger, more powerful players. Players such as Monica Seles or France's Fabrice Santoro and Marion Bartoli are also notable players known for their two-handed forehands.[72]

text: Backhand

text: For right-handed players, the backhand is a stroke that begins on the left side of their body, continues across their body as contact is made with the ball, and ends on the right side of their body. It can be executed with either one hand or with both and is generally considered more difficult to master than the forehand. For most of the 20th century, the backhand was performed with one hand, using either an eastern or a continental grip. The first notable players to use two hands were the 1930s Australians Vivian McGrath and John Bromwich, but they were lonely exceptions. The two-handed grip gained popularity in the 1970s as Björn Borg, Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, and later Mats Wilander and Marat Safin used it to great effect, and it is now used by a large number of the world's best players, including Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams.[73]

text: Two hands give the player more control, while one hand can generate a slice shot, applying backspin on the ball to produce a low trajectory bounce. Reach is also limited with the two-handed shot. The player long considered to have had the best backhand of all time, Don Budge, had a powerful one-handed stroke in the 1930s and 1940s that imparted topspin onto the ball. Ken Rosewall, another player noted for his one-handed backhand, used a very accurate slice backhand through the 1950s and 1960s. A small number of players, notably Monica Seles, use two hands on both the backhand and forehand sides.

text: Other shots

text: A volley is a shot returned to the opponent in mid-air before the ball bounces, generally performed near the net, and is usually made with a stiff-wristed punching motion to hit the ball into an open area of the opponent's court. The half volley is made by hitting the ball on the rise just after it has bounced, also generally in the vicinity of the net, and played with the racket close to the ground.[74] The swinging volley is hit out of the air as the player approaches the net. It is an offensive shot used to take preparation time away from the opponent, as it returns the ball into the opponent's court much faster than a standard volley.

text: From a poor defensive position on the baseline, the lob can be used as either an offensive or defensive weapon, hitting the ball high and deep into the opponent's court to either enable the lobber to get into better defensive position or to win the point outright by hitting it over the opponent's head. If the lob is not hit deeply enough into the other court, however, an opponent near the net may then hit an overhead smash, a hard, serve-like shot, to try to end the point.

text: A difficult shot in tennis is the return of an attempted lob over the backhand side of a player. When the contact point is higher than the reach of a two-handed backhand, most players will try to execute a high slice (under the ball or sideways). Fewer players attempt the backhand sky-hook or smash. Rarely, a player will go for a high topspin backhand, while themselves in the air. A successful execution of any of these alternatives requires balance and timing, with less margin of error than the lower contact point backhands, since this shot is a break in the regular pattern of play.

text: If an opponent is deep in his court, a player may suddenly employ an unexpected drop shot, by softly tapping the ball just over the net so that the opponent is unable to run in fast enough to retrieve it. Advanced players will often apply back spin to a drop shot, causing the ball to "skid" upon landing and bounce sideways, with less forward momentum toward their opponent, or even backwards towards the net, thus making it even more difficult to return.

text: Injuries

text: Muscle strain is one of the most common injuries in tennis.[75] When an isolated large-energy appears during the muscle contraction and at the same time body weight apply huge amount of pressure to the lengthened muscle, muscle strain can occur.[76] Inflammation and bleeding are triggered when muscle strain occurs, which can result in redness, pain and swelling.[76] Overuse is also common in tennis players of all levels. Muscle, cartilage, nerves, bursae, ligaments and tendons may be damaged from overuse. The repetitive use of a particular muscle without time for repair and recovery is the most common cause of injury.[76]

text: Tournaments

text: Tournaments are often organized by gender and number of players. Common tournament configurations include men's singles, women's singles, and doubles, where two players play on each side of the net. Tournaments may be organized for specific age groups, with upper age limits for youth and lower age limits for senior players. Example of this include the Orange Bowl and Les Petits As junior tournaments. There are also tournaments for players with disabilities, such as wheelchair tennis and deaf tennis.[77] In the four Grand Slam tournaments, the singles draws are limited to 128 players for each gender.

text: Most large tournaments seed players, but players may also be matched by their skill level. According to how well a person does in sanctioned play, a player is given a rating that is adjusted periodically to maintain competitive matches. For example, the United States Tennis Association administers the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP), which rates players between 1.0 and 7.0 in 1/2 point increments. Average club players under this system would rate 3.0–4.5 while world class players would be 7.0 on this scale.

text: Grand Slam tournaments

text: The four Grand Slam tournaments are considered to be the most prestigious tennis events in the world. They are held annually and comprise, in chronological order, the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Apart from the Olympic Games, Davis Cup, Fed Cup, and Hopman Cup, they are the only tournaments regulated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).[78] The ITF's national associations, Tennis Australia (Australian Open), the Fédération Française de Tennis (French Open), the Lawn Tennis Association (Wimbledon) and the United States Tennis Association (US Open) are delegated the responsibility to organize these events.[78]

text: Aside from the historical significance of these events, they also carry larger prize funds than any other tour event and are worth double the number of ranking points to the champion than in the next echelon of tournaments, the Masters 1000 (men) and Premier events (women).[79][80] Another distinguishing feature is the number of players in the singles draw. There are 128, more than any other professional tennis tournament. This draw is composed of 32 seeded players, other players ranked in the world's top 100, qualifiers, and players who receive invitations through wild cards. Grand Slam men's tournaments have best-of-five set matches while the women play best-of-three. Grand Slam tournaments are among the small number of events that last two weeks, the others being the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Masters.

text: Currently, the Grand Slam tournaments are the only tour events that have mixed doubles contests. Grand Slam tournaments are held in conjunction with wheelchair tennis tournaments and junior tennis competitions. These tournaments also contain their own idiosyncrasies. For example, players at Wimbledon are required to wear predominantly white. Andre Agassi chose to skip Wimbledon from 1988 through 1990 citing the event's traditionalism, particularly its "predominantly white" dress code.[81] Wimbledon has its own particular methods for disseminating tickets, often leading tennis fans to follow complex procedures to obtain tickets.[82]

text:
Grand Slam Tournaments

Date

Tournament

Location

Surface

Prize Money

First Held

January–February
Australian Open
Melbourne
Hard (Plexicushion)
A$55,000,000 (2018)
1905

May–June
French Open
Paris
Clay
€39,197,000 (2018)
1891*

June–July
Wimbledon
London
Grass
£31,600,000 (2017)
1877

August–September
US Open
New York City
Hard (DecoTurf)
US$50,400,000 (2017)
1881

text: * The international tournament began in 1925

text: Men's tournament structure

text: Masters 1000

text: The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 is a group of nine tournaments that form the second-highest echelon in men's tennis. Each event is held annually, and a win at one of these events is worth 1000 ranking points. When the ATP, led by Hamilton Jordan, began running the men's tour in 1990, the directors designated the top nine tournaments, outside of the Grand Slam events, as "Super 9" events.[83] In 2000 this became the Tennis Masters Series and in 2004 the ATP Masters Series. In November at the end of the tennis year, the world's top eight players compete in the ATP World Tour Finals, a tournament with a rotating locale. It is currently held in London, England.[84]

text: In August 2007 the ATP announced major changes to the tour that were introduced in 2009. The Masters Series was renamed to the "Masters 1000", the addition of the number 1000 referring to the number of ranking points earned by the winner of each tournament. Contrary to earlier plans, the number of tournaments was not reduced from nine to eight and the Monte Carlo Masters remains part of the series although, unlike the other events, it does not have a mandatory player commitment. The Hamburg Masters has been downgraded to a 500-point event. The Madrid Masters moved to May and onto clay courts, and a new tournament in Shanghai took over Madrid's former indoor October slot. As of 2011 six of the nine "1000" level tournaments are combined ATP and WTA events.[85]

text: 250 and 500 Series

text: The third and fourth tier of men's tennis tournaments are formed by the ATP World Tour 500 series, consisting of 11 tournaments, and the ATP World Tour 250 series with 40 tournaments.[86] Like the ATP World Tour Masters 1000, these events offer various amounts of prize money and the numbers refer to the amount of ranking points earned by the winner of a tournament.[79] The Dubai Tennis Championships offer the largest financial incentive to players, with total prize money of US$2,313,975 (2012).[87] These series have various draws of 28, 32, 48 and 56 for singles and 16 and 24 for doubles. It is mandatory for leading players to enter at least four 500 events, including at least one after the US Open.

text: Challenger Tour and Futures tournaments

text: The Challenger Tour for men is the lowest level of tournament administered by the ATP. It is composed of about 150 events and, as a result, features a more diverse range of countries hosting events.[88] The majority of players use the Challenger Series at the beginning of their career to work their way up the rankings. Andre Agassi, between winning Grand Slam tournaments, plummeted to World No. 141 and used Challenger Series events for match experience and to progress back up the rankings.[89] The Challenger Series offers prize funds of between US$25,000 and US$150,000.

text: Below the Challenger Tour are the Futures tournaments, events on the ITF Men's Circuit. These tournaments also contribute towards a player's ATP rankings points. Futures Tournaments offer prize funds of between US$10,000 and US$15,000.[90] Approximately 530 Futures Tournaments are played each year.

text: Women's tournament structure

text: Premier events

text: Premier events for women form the most prestigious level of events on the Women's Tennis Association Tour after the Grand Slam tournaments. These events offer the largest rewards in terms of points and prize money. Within the Premier category are Premier Mandatory, Premier 5, and Premier tournaments. The Premier events were introduced in 2009 replacing the previous Tier I and II tournament categories. Currently four tournaments are Premier Mandatory, five tournaments are Premier 5, and twelve tournaments are Premier. The first tiering system in women's tennis was introduced in 1988. At the time of its creation, only two tournaments, the Lipton International Players Championships in Florida and the German Open in Berlin, comprised the Tier I category.

text: International events

text: International tournaments are the second main tier of the WTA tour and consist of 31 tournaments, with a prize money for every event at U.S.$220,000, except for the year-ending Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, which has prize money of U.S.$600,000.

text: Players

text: Professional players

text: Professional tennis players enjoy the same relative perks as most top sports personalities: clothing, equipment and endorsements. Like players of other individual sports such as golf, they are not salaried, but must play and finish highly in tournaments to obtain money.

text: In recent years, some controversy has surrounded the involuntary or deliberate noise caused by players' grunting.

text: Grand Slam tournament winners

text: The following players have won at least five singles titles at Grand Slam tournaments:

text:
Female
Margaret Court (24)
Serena Williams (23)
Steffi Graf (22)
Helen Wills Moody (19)
Chris Evert (18)
Martina Navratilova (18)
Billie Jean King (12)
Maureen Connolly Brinker (9)
Monica Seles (9)
Molla Bjurstedt Mallory (8)
Suzanne Lenglen (8)
Dorothea Lambert Chambers (7)
Maria Bueno (7)
Evonne Goolagong Cawley (7)
Venus Williams (7)
Justine Henin (7)
Blanche Bingley Hillyard (6)
Doris Hart (6)
Margaret Osborne duPont (6)
Nancye Wynne Bolton (6)
Louise Brough Clapp (6)
Lottie Dod (5)
Charlotte Cooper Sterry (5)
Daphne Akhurst Cozens (5)
Helen Jacobs (5)
Alice Marble (5)
Pauline Betz Addie (5)
Althea Gibson (5)
Martina Hingis (5)
Maria Sharapova (5)

Male
Roger Federer (20)
Rafael Nadal (17)
Pete Sampras (14)
Novak Djokovic (13)
Roy Emerson (12)
Rod Laver (11)
Björn Borg (11)
Bill Tilden (10)
Fred Perry (8)
Ken Rosewall (8)
Jimmy Connors (8)
Ivan Lendl (8)
Andre Agassi (8)
William Renshaw (7)
Richard Sears (7)
William Larned (7)
Henri Cochet (7)
René Lacoste (7)
John Newcombe (7)
John McEnroe (7)
Mats Wilander (7)
Laurence Doherty (6)
Anthony Wilding (6)
Donald Budge (6)
Jack Crawford (6)
Boris Becker (6)
Stefan Edberg (6)
Frank Sedgman (5)
Tony Trabert (5)

 Margaret Court (b. 1942).
 Roger Federer (b. 1981).

text: Greatest male players

text: A frequent topic of discussion among tennis fans and commentators is who was the greatest male singles player of all time. By a large margin, an Associated Press poll in 1950 named Bill Tilden as the greatest player of the first half of the 20th century.[91] From 1920 to 1930, Tilden won singles titles at Wimbledon three times and the U.S. Championships seven times. In 1938, however, Donald Budge became the first person to win all four major singles titles during the same calendar year, the Grand Slam, and won six consecutive major titles in 1937 and 1938. Tilden called Budge "the finest player 365 days a year that ever lived."[92] In his 1979 autobiography, Jack Kramer said that, based on consistent play, Budge was the greatest player ever.[93] Some observers, however, also felt that Kramer deserved consideration for the title. Kramer was among the few who dominated amateur and professional tennis during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Tony Trabert has said that of the players he saw before the start of the open era, Kramer was the best male champion.[94]

text: By the 1960s, Budge and others had added Pancho Gonzales and Lew Hoad to the list of contenders. Budge reportedly believed that Gonzales was the greatest player ever.[95] Gonzales said about Hoad, "When Lew's game was at its peak nobody could touch him. ... I think his game was the best game ever. Better than mine. He was capable of making more shots than anybody. His two volleys were great. His overhead was enormous. He had the most natural tennis mind with the most natural tennis physique."[96]

text: During the open era, first Rod Laver and more recently Björn Borg and Pete Sampras were regarded by many of their contemporaries as among the greatest ever. Andre Agassi, the first of two male players in history to have achieved a Career Golden Slam in singles tennis (followed by Rafael Nadal), has been called the best service returner in the history of the game.[97][98][99][100] He is the first man to win slams on all modern surfaces (previous holders of all slams played in an era of grass and clay only), and is regarded by a number of critics and fellow players to be among the greatest players of all time.[97][101][102]

text: More recently, Roger Federer is considered by many observers to have the most "complete" game in modern tennis. He has won 20 grand slam titles and 6 World Tour Finals, the most for any male player. Many experts of tennis, former tennis players and his own tennis peers believe Federer is the greatest player in the history of the game.[103][104][105][106][107][108] Federer's biggest rival Rafael Nadal is regarded as the greatest competitor in tennis history by some former players and is regarded to have the potential to be the greatest of all time.[109][110] Nadal is regarded as the greatest clay court player of all time.[111]

text: Greatest female players

text: As with the men there are frequent discussions about who is the greatest female singles player of all time with Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams being the three players most often nominated.

text: In March 2012 the TennisChannel published a combined list of the 100 greatest men and women tennis players of all time.[112] It ranked Steffi Graf as the greatest female player (in 3rd place overall), followed by Martina Navratilova (4th place) and Margaret Court (8th place). The rankings were determined by an international panel.

text: Sportwriter John Wertheim of Sports Illustrated stated in an article in July 2010 that Serena Williams is the greatest female tennis player ever with the argument that "Head-to-head, on a neutral surface (i.e. hard courts), everyone at their best, I can't help feeling that she crushes the other legends.".[113] In a reaction to this article Yahoo sports blog Busted Racket published a list of the top-10 women's tennis players of all time placing Martina Navratilova in first spot.[114] This top-10 list was similar to the one published in June 2008 by the Bleacher Report who also ranked Martina Navratilova as the top female player of all time.[115]

text: Steffi Graf is considered by some to be the greatest female player. Billie Jean King said in 1999, "Steffi is definitely the greatest women's tennis player of all time."[116] Martina Navratilova has included Graf on her list of great players.[116] In December 1999, Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by the Associated Press.[117] Tennis writer Steve Flink, in his book The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century, named her as the best female player of the 20th century, directly followed by Martina Navratilova.[118]

text: Tennis magazine selected Martina Navratilova as the greatest female tennis player for the years 1965 through 2005.[119][120] Tennis historian and journalist Bud Collins has called Navratilova "arguably, the greatest player of all time."[121] Billie Jean King said about Navratilova in 2006, "She's the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived."[122]

text: In popular culture

text:
"Tennis balles" are mentioned by William Shakespeare in his play Henry V (1599), when a basket of them is given to King Henry as a mockery of his youth and playfulness.
David Foster Wallace, an amateur tennis player himself at Urbana High School in Illinois,[123] included tennis in many of his works of nonfiction and fiction including "Tennis Player Michael Joyce's Professional Artistry as a Paradigm of Certain Stuff about Choice, Freedom, Discipline, Joy, Grotesquerie, and Human Completeness," the autobiographical piece "Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley," and Infinite Jest, which is partially set at the fictional "Enfield Tennis Academy" in Massachusetts.
Japanese Manga series The Prince of Tennis revolves around the tennis prodigy Echizen Ryoma and tennis matches between rival schools.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) features Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson), a tennis pro who suffers from depression and has a breakdown on court in front of thousands of fans.[124]
Wimbledon (2004) is a film about a discouraged pro tennis player (Paul Bettany) who meets a young woman on the women's tennis circuit (Kirsten Dunst) who helps him find his drive to go and win Wimbledon.[125]
In The Squid and the Whale (2005), Joan (Laura Linney) has an affair with her kids' tennis coach, Ivan (William Baldwin). In a symbolic scene, Joan's ex-husband, Bernard (Jeff Daniels), loses a tennis match against Ivan in front of the kids.[126]
Woody Allen's Match Point (2005) features a love affair between a former tennis pro (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and his best friend's fiancé (Scarlett Johansson).[127]
Confetti (2006) is a mockumentary which sees three couples competing to win the title of "Most Original Wedding of the Year". One competing couple (Meredith MacNeill and Stephen Mangan) are a pair of hyper-competitive professional tennis players holding a tennis-themed wedding.[128]
There are several tennis video games including Mario Tennis, the TopSpin series, Wii Sports, and Grand Slam Tennis.[129][130]


document_title: United States congressional conference committee

question_text: what happens to a bill after a conference committee finishes

root

text: Going to conference[edit]

text: Conference committees operate after the House and the Senate have passed different versions of a bill. Conference committees exist to draft a compromise bill that both houses can accept. Both houses of Congress must eventually pass identical legislation for the bill to be presented to the President. [1] The two houses can reach that point through the process of amendments between Houses, where the House passes the Senate bill with a House amendment, or vice versa, but this process can be cumbersome. Thus, some bills pass both Houses through the use of a conference committee. [2]

tag: p

text: After one house passes a bill, the second house often passes the same bill, with an amendment representing the second house's work product. The second house then sends a message to the first house, asking the first house to concur with the second house's amendment. If the first house does not like the second house's amendment, then the first house can disagree with the amendment of the second house, request a conference, appoint conferees, and send a message to that effect to the second house. The second house then insists on its amendment, agrees to a conference, and appoints conferees.

text: Each house determines the number of conferees from its house. The number of conferees need not be equal. To conclude its business, a majority of both House and Senate delegations to the conference must indicate their approval by signing the conference report.

text: The authority to appoint conferees lies in the entire House, and the entire Senate can appoint conferees by adopting a debatable motion to do so.[3] But leadership have increasingly exercised authority in the appointment of conferees.

text: The House and Senate may instruct conferees, but these instructions are not binding.[4]

text: Authority[edit]

text: Conference committees can be extremely contentious, particularly if the houses are controlled by different parties. House rules require that one conference meeting be open to the public, unless the House, in open session, votes to close a meeting to the public. Apart from this one open meeting, conference committees usually meet in private, and are dominated by the chairs of the House and Senate committees.

text: House and Senate rules forbid conferees from inserting in their report matter not committed to them by either House. [5][6] But conference committees sometimes do introduce new matter. In such a case, the rules of each House let a member object through a point of order, though each House has procedures that let other members vote to waive the point of order. The House provides a procedure for striking the offending provision from the bill. Formerly, the Senate required a Senator to object to the whole bill as reported by the conference committee. If the objection was well-founded, the Presiding Officer ruled, and a Senator could appeal the ruling of the Chair. If the appeal was sustained by a majority of the Senate, it had precedential effect, eroding the rule on the scope of conference committees. From fall 1996 through 2000, the Senate had no limit on the scope of conference reports, and some argued that the majority abused the power of conference committees. [7] In December 2000, the Senate reinstated the prohibition of inserting matters outside the scope of conference. [8] The rule changed again with the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, enacted in September 2007. Now any single Senator may raise a procedural objection, a point of order, against subject matter newly inserted by the conference committee without objecting to the rest of the bill. Proponents of the measure may move to waive the rule. The affirmative vote of 60 Senators is required to waive the rule. If the point of order is not waived and the Chair rules that the objection is well-founded, only the offending provision is stricken from the measure, and the Senate votes on sending the balance of the measure back to the House.[6]

text: Conference report[edit]

text: Most times, the conference committee produces a conference report melding the work of the House and Senate into a final version of the bill. A conference report proposes legislative language as an amendment to the bill committed to conference. The conference report also includes a joint explanatory statement of the conference committee. This statement provides one of the best sources of legislative history on the bill. Chief Justice William Rehnquist once observed that the joint conference report of both Houses of Congress is considered highly reliable legislative history when interpreting a statute.[9]

text: Once a bill has been passed by a conference committee, it goes directly to the floor of both houses for a vote, and is not open to further amendment. In the first house to consider the conference report, a Member may move to recommit the bill to the conference committee. But once the first house has passed the conference report, the conference committee is dissolved, and the second house to act can no longer recommit the bill to conference.[10]

text: Conference reports are privileged. In the Senate, a motion to proceed to a conference report is not debatable, although Senators can generally filibuster the conference report itself. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 limits debate on conference reports on budget resolutions and budget reconciliation bills to ten hours in the Senate, so Senators cannot filibuster those conference reports. [11]

text: The conference report must be approved by both the House and the Senate before the final bill is sent to the President.[10]

text: Declining usage[edit]

text: The use of the formal conference process has steadily declined in recent decades. The number of conference reports produced is shown below from the 104th Congress (1995-96) through the 115th Congress (2017-18) as of 12/14/2017:[12]


document_title: Katie Lee (chef)

question_text: what happened to the first host of top chef

text: Katie Lee (chef)

text: Biography[edit]

text: Lee was raised  in Milton, West Virginia.[2] Lee studied journalism and food science at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio,[3] where she graduated in 2003.[4] While there she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.[5] She spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy at The British Institute.[6][7]

text: She met Billy Joel at the rooftop bar at The Peninsula hotel while visiting New York City for a weekend.[8] After dating for a year, she and Joel married at his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island, on October 2, 2004. Alexa Ray Joel, Billy Joel's daughter from his marriage to Christie Brinkley, served as maid of honor.[citation needed]

text: After nearly five years of marriage, Billy and Katie Lee separated in June 2009.[9]

text: On March 22, 2018 Lee got engaged to television producer Ryan Biegel at the La Réserve Paris Hotel and Spa.[10]

text: Career[edit]

text: Lee has worked in several restaurants and gourmet food and wine stores. In 2003, she helped to open Jeff and Eddy’s Restaurant where she served as the house fishmonger.[7]

text: In July 2005, Lee created the foodie website OliveAndPeach.com with partner Aleishall Girard. The web site ceased updating in September 2006.

text: In 2006, she hosted the first season of Bravo's Top Chef. After a negative critical reception to her, Bravo replaced her with Padma Lakshmi.[11][12] She later returned as a guest judge on Top Chef All Stars, Episode 2 ("Night at the Museum") in 2010.

text: Lee's first cookbook, The Comfort Table, was published by Simon & Schuster.[13] In October 2009, Simon & Schuster released Katie's second cookbook The Comfort Table:  Recipes for Everyday Occasions [14]

text: In June 2011, Lee released her first novel, Groundswell, about a woman recovering from divorce who finds the healing power of surfing.[15]

text: Lee served as a food and lifestyle contributor for The Early Show and has appeared on Extra as a special correspondent. Additionally, she is a contributing editor to Gotham magazine, and her culinary and lifestyle column, "Katie's Kitchen", is published weekly in its sister magazine Hamptons.[16] Lee has also appeared on Paula's Party, Martha, Today, The Early Show,The Nate Berkus Show, Rachael Ray Show, and Fox News.  In 2007, she was a judge on Iron Chef America.[16]

text: Lee is a member of the Feeding America Entertainment Council.[17] She previously sat on the council of Chefs for Humanity, a group that provides humanitarian aid worldwide. She has also volunteered for Les Dames d'Escoffier, an organization that educates and mentors women in the culinary profession.[18]

text: Lee appeared on the video blog Wine Library TV with Gary Vaynerchuk on May 8, 2009.[19]

text: Lee has been a guest judge on Beat Bobby Flay many times, including on July 21, 2016 for a special "Ladies Night" episode.[20]

text: Lee is a co-host of Food Network's talk show The Kitchen,[21] and the Cooking Channel's Beach Bites with Katie Lee.[22]


document_title: List of Ben 10: Ultimate Alien episodes

question_text: ben 10 ultimate alien season 2 last episode

text: List of Ben 10: Ultimate Alien episodes

text: Series overview[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
Originally aired

First aired
Last aired

1
20
April 23, 2010 (2010-04-23)
December 10, 2010 (2010-12-10)

2
12
February 4, 2011 (2011-02-04)
April 29, 2011 (2011-04-29)

3
20
September 16, 2011 (2011-09-16)
March 31, 2012 (2012-03-31)

Special
November 25, 2011 (2011-11-25)

tag: table

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Season 1 (2010)[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Prod.
code

1
1
"Fame"
Dan Riba
Dwayne McDuffie
April 23, 2010 (2010-04-23)
101

Ben's secret identity is revealed to the entire world, and he is now a superhero loved everywhere by kids and teenagers, but distrusted by many adults. Kevin and Gwen find out who revealed Ben's secret and where he lives, and the three go to "pay him a visit". The informant turns out to be a young boy named Jimmy Jones, who has followed Ben's exploits ever since he was ten-years old. With Jimmy's help, Ben and company discover a series of alien attacks in Florida. The unknown alien steals a nuclear device from a prototype interstellar rocket.
Omnitrix alien debuts: Wildmutt (10-year-old)
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Swampfire, Brainstorm, Echo Echo, Jetray, Cannonbolt, Big Chill, Chromastone, Humungousaur, Goop, Spidermonkey, Rath, Ultimate Spidermonkey

2
2
"Duped"
Butch Lukic
Len Uhley
April 30, 2010 (2010-04-30)
102

The group runs into an army of Forever Knights; in the confrontation Magister Labrid is killed when he saves Kevin's life, and Kevin joins Ben and Gwen on their search for Max to repay his debt. Gwen is able to trace a leftover Laser Lance back to its original owners and they soon find a secret underground base, discovering an army of DNAliens. Sneaking in, the find that Max isn't there anymore, and on their way out encounter the Highbreed in charge of the ship.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Rath, Echo Echo, Big Chill, Murk Upchuck, Cannonbolt, Lodestar

3
3
"Hit 'Em Where They Live"
Matt Youngberg
Len Wein
May 7, 2010 (2010-05-07)
103

Zombozo then targets Ben's mom again at Mr. Smoothy's and attacks her there. He shocks Gwen (who was trying to protect Sandra) and gets her dizzy, and kidnaps Sandra. Ben, Gwen, and Kevin go to Zombozo's hideout to save Ben's mom.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Ultimate Big Chill

4
4
"Video Games"
Dan Riba
Eugene Son
May 14, 2010 (2010-05-14)
104

Harangue decides not to finish Ben off, as it would threaten his ratings, so he decides to fight Ben personally in Washington D.C. and challenges him to the fight on TV. Ben accepts and he, along with Gwen and Kevin, go to Washington D.C. The Stalker comes and turns on a monitor with Harangue's face on it, and through it Harangue asks Ben if he has any last words.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Four Arms (16-year-old), Nanomech, Way Big

5
5
"Escape From Aggregor"
Butch Lukic
Charlotte Fullerton
May 21, 2010 (2010-05-21)
105

The five aliens eventually decide to work together to free themselves from Aggregor. They free themselves and get their powers back. P'andor and Andreas decide to take over the ship, but Bivalvan, Ra'ad, and Galapagus decide to call the Plumbers for help.

6
6
"Too Hot To Handle"
Matt Youngberg
Marty Isenberg
May 28, 2010 (2010-05-28)
106

A strange alien is offering big money (over $1 million) to someone who can open a safe (which is really a containment suit). That alien is revealed to be P'andor, who wants to be free of his suit. Surgeon, Buzz, and Hammer tried to break open the armor, but all fail miserably. After a while, Kevin, who heard about the challenge, tries to free P'andor by absorbing a Taydenite sample he kept in order to open the armor. He then changes his mind when his Plumber Badge detects a high level of radiation.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Ultimate Humungousaur, Water Hazard, Ultimate Cannonbolt

7
7
"Andreas' Fault"
Dan Riba
Jim Krieg and Ernie Altbacker
June 4, 2010 (2010-06-04)
107

If the castles Argit goes to refuse to let him rule their castles, he will use his new friend Andreas to destroy the castle. Andreas is also one of Aggregor's victims. Jetray then scans Andreas' DNA and gains a new form and transforms back into Ben. Argit gives Kevin money as payment for the money he owes him. Kevin then says that he loves money more than anything else in the world and Gwen gets mad at him for the remainder of the episode. Argit tells Andreas that Ben and his team are friends, but then a Forever Knight intelligence officer named Sir Dagonet comes in and turns Argit's Forever Knight garrison against Ben and his friends.

8
8
"Fused"
Butch Lukic
Len Uhley
June 11, 2010 (2010-06-11)
108

As Ben laments that things can't get worse, Aggregor shows up to recapture Ra'ad. The gang try to fight Aggregor, but he proves to be too strong for them. The Ultimatrix finally lets Ben transform, but unfortunately, all that he can transform into is an Amperi. With no choice, Ben transforms into AmpFibian and fights Aggregor.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: AmpFibian

9
9
"Hero Time"
Matt Youngberg
Steven Barnes
June 18, 2010 (2010-06-18)
109

He then kidnaps Julie, who was shown taking her anger over Jennifer out on the tennis courts. Nemesis then intercepts Jennifer's helicopter. When Ben calls Julie, Nemesis answers the call and tells Ben to "come and get me" if he wants to see her again.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Armodrillo

10
10
"Ultimate Aggregor"
Dan Riba
Dwayne McDuffie
October 10, 2010 (2010-10-10)
110

Aggregor then begins to absorb energy and Kevin tries to reason with him, explaining that regularly absorbing energy caused him to go insane when he was a kid but Aggregor doesn't listen, claiming that it is a lie told by powerful Osmosians to control the weak Osmosians. Before Kevin can reason with him any further, Aggregor shoots Kevin with his spear. He then powers himself up and breaks the fabric of time.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Ultimate Swampfire

11
11
"Map of Infinity"
Butch Lukic
Dwayne McDuffie
October 10, 2010 (2010-10-10)
111

Continued from the previous episode, Aggregor has absorbed the powers of Bivalvan, Galapagus, P'andor, Andreas, and Ra'ad, transforming him into Ultimate Aggregor. Ben transforms into Humungousaur and attacks Aggregor in a fight of rage and anger, seemingly pummeling him unconscious.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Ultimate Echo Echo

12
12
"Reflected Glory"
Matt Youngberg
Peter David
October 15, 2010 (2010-10-15)
112

The Forever Knights discuss their plan for the weapon and Ben and the team come in to fight with Cash, J.T., and Oliver filming the scene. Kevin gets angry with them not helping and Psyphon comes in to destroy Cash and J.T., believing them to be the masterminds behind Ben Tennyson.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Terraspin

13
13
"Deep"
Dan Riba
Marty Isenberg
October 22, 2010 (2010-10-22)
113

Underwater on Piscciss, a Magister Plumber named Pyke is searching for something. He finds a swimming object, which happens to be Ultimate Aggregor, who seems to defeat Magister Pyke.

14
14
"Where The Magic Hapens"
Butch Lukic
Matt Wayne
October 29, 2010 (2010-10-29)
114

The group is chasing Aggregor, who runs toward a door and shouts an incantation. The door glows symbols and opens to a world that looks like it is full of mana. Unfortunately, Four Arms wasn't strong enough to keep the door open, and it closes. After Four Arms transforms back into normal, Ben remembers the glowing symbols and writes them down, but Gwen is unable to pronounce the symbols correctly. She does know someone who can read them, and that person is Charmcaster.

15
15
"Perplexahedron"
Matt Youngberg
Brian Swenlin
November 5, 2010 (2010-11-05)
115

Azmuth contacts Ben on the Ultimatrix and is not happy with him for failing to stop Aggregor from claiming three of the four pieces to the Map of Infinity. When Ben tells Azmuth that scolding him is not going to help, Azmuth agrees and then teleports Ben, Gwen, and Kevin to the Rust Bucket 3 in another galaxy, in which they find the Perplexahedron, a giant cube-like artificial planet. Moments later, they spot Aggregor approaching the planet.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Ripjaws

16
16
"The Forge of Creation"
Dan Riba
Dwayne McDuffie
November 12, 2010 (2010-11-12)
116

With Ultimate Aggregor having all four pieces of the Map of Infinity, he'll be on his way to the Forge of Creation (Alien X's home planet). Professor Paradox helps Ben, Gwen and Kevin get to they need to go, but after Paradox left, Ben and the others ran into Ben's younger self. The four of them arrive at Alien X's home planet, where they battle Ultimate Aggregor and after Kevin gone insane in absorbing Ben's powers he defeated and absorbed Ultimate Aggregor. 10-year-old Ben goes back to where he belong from Professor Paradox.
Omnitrix alien debuts: Heatblast (10-year-old), Four Arms (10-year-old), Stinkfly
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Alien X, NRG, Ultimate Kevin

17
17
"...Nor Iron Bars a Cage"
Butch Lukic
Len Wein
November 19, 2010 (2010-11-19)
117

Ben and Gwen arrive in Incarceon to tell Morgg that Ultimate Kevin is going to kill him. Morgg ignores their warning and has his robots take them to a room to stay in until a supply ship picks them up. Meanwhile, while the prisoners are still mining, Ultimate Kevin flashes back to the last time he was a prisoner. He was still Kevin 11 and got so angry, that he threatened to hurt all the other prisoners while Quince and his friend, Kwarrel watched him.

18
18
"The Enemy of My Enemy"
Matt Youngberg
Len Uhley
December 3, 2010 (2010-12-03)
118

While taking a ride in Ben's car, Ben and Gwen discuss that Ultimate Kevin is still continuing his rampage on everyone that wronged him and that he needs to be taken care of. Just then, Ben accidentally runs over Argit, but he survives. Argit explains that he needs their help in order to hide from Ultimate Kevin.

19
19
"Absolute Power, Part 1"
Dan Riba
Charlotte Fullerton
December 10, 2010 (2010-12-10)
119

Kevin has been absorbing the powers of the Plumbers' Helpers and Ben and Gwen had an argument whether they should kill or cure Kevin. Ben defeats Gwen and then battle the Forever Knights and Vulkanus to ask where are Kevin's whereabouts but neither of them gave Ben any answers. Gwen finds Ben and tells him that their old enemy Michael Morningstar can help find and cure Kevin.

20
20
"Absolute Power, Part 2"
Butch Lukic
Charlotte Fullerton
December 10, 2010 (2010-12-10)
120

Halfway to the end of the episode, Kevin is still rampaging . Ben and Gwen use Michael Morningstar, Julie, Ship and Cooper to help cure Kevin. Ben defeated Kevin and in Los Soledad Cooper use the power of the Entropy Pump to turn Kevin back to human and the powers of the Andromeda aliens and the Plumbers' Helpers return.

text: Season 2 (2011)[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Prod.
code

21
1
"The Transmogrification of Eunice"
Matt Youngberg
Eugene Son
February 4, 2011 (2011-02-04)
201

Ben, Gwen, and Kevin go out into the wilderness for a camping trip. During a car race between Ben and Kevin, a strange pod falls from space. While trying to open the pod, Gwen cuts her hand on it. The pod then opens to reveal a beautiful, dark green-eyed, blonde-haired girl. Gwen gives the girl some of her spare clothes and the girl reveals her name to be Eunice, though she doesn't remember anything else. As the camping trip continues, Eunice is revealed to have a strange connection to nature and Ben begins to develop romantic feelings for Eunice. Sunder then arrives on Earth on a mission to find Eunice.

22
2
"Eye of the Beholder"
Dan Riba
Len Uhley
February 11, 2011 (2011-02-11)
202

Baz-El is on a distant planet where he is stealing some valuable gems from some temple statues. Later, the temple guardian worshippers attack Baz-El. Ship suddenly hears Baz-El's cries for help, and leaves Julie to help his old owner. Julie ask Ben for help to locate Ship, who left to help Baz-El. However, their break-up makes things difficult, but Gwen and Kevin agree to help Julie.

23
3
"Viktor: The Spoils"
Butch Lukic
Kevin Grevioux
February 18, 2011 (2011-02-18)
203

Zarcovia's soldiers has found the frozen body of Dr. Viktor. Prince Gyula and King Xarion want to see this weapon. Gyula wants to control Dr. Viktor to use him against rebels in their civil war, but Xarion tells him not to. King Xarion asks for help from Ben, Gwen, and Kevin and explains what Gyula is trying to accomplish. When they find Dr. Viktor's corpse, they are found by Gyula's soldiers. While fighting them, Dr. Viktor's ice block begins to melt and he breaks free; Gyula reveals that Dr. Viktor is under his control.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Wildmutt (16-year-old), Heatblast (16-year-old)

24
4
"The Big Story"
Matt Youngberg
Ernie Altbacker and Jim Krieg
March 4, 2011 (2011-03-04)
204

Jimmy Jones sees a meteor falling in a cave, where an alien plant attacks him. He tells Ben and his team about it, but only Ben believes him. They go in the cave but the plant isn't there. The next day, Jimmy sees Ben going into the cave and talking to the plant. He takes a photo of that, but the photo isn't good, so Gwen doesn't believe him. Later, Jimmy goes to the supermarket and Ben, as Humongousaur, attacks him. Jimmy takes his bicycle and runs, but Ben becomes Cannonbolt and hunts him down. Jimmy goes to Gwen and Kevin and they all go to the cave. In the entrance of the cave they catch Jimmy and they take him to the plant. Jimmy finds that Gwen, Kevin, and Ben are clones made by the plant.

25
5
"Girl Trouble"
Dan Riba
Eugene Son
March 11, 2011 (2011-03-11)
205

The team goes to Gwen's house to find a solution to defeat Computron's minions from Dimension 12. When they go to Gwen's room, they find a dark-hair girl, who is Sunny, Gwen's naughty cousin. Gwen's mom insists they take Sunny with them. The team takes Sunny to the mission but they left her in Kevin's car. They go to fight the robots but Sunny follows them. She destroys the robots with ease and is very happy, but the team is looking at her strangely. Gwen tells her mother that Sunny is an Anodite, much to her surprise and disgust.

26
6
"Revenge of the Swarm"
Butch Lukic
Stan Berkowitz
March 18, 2011 (2011-03-18)
206

One year after the events of Ben 10: Alien Swarm, Victor Validus attacks Ben at night but when he defends himself, he finds a Nanochip that was believed to have been destroyed along with its Queen. Ben, Kevin and Gwen find Victor's daughter, Elena, to see what is going on.

27
7
"The Creature from Beyond"
Dan Riba
Len Uhley
March 25, 2011 (2011-03-25)
207

An evil creature known as Lucubra released from another dimension has plans to enslave the human race for its master.

28
8
"Basic Training"
Butch Lukic
Adam Beechen
April 1, 2011 (2011-04-01)
208

Ben, Gwen, and Kevin are summoned to Plumbers Academy to go under training. They create a good friendship with an alien named Tack and Ben dislikes the drill instructor, Magister Hulca, that is being targeted for revenge by a menacing Tetramand.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Fasttrack, Diamondhead

29
9
"It's Not Easy Being Gwen"
Matt Youngberg
Matt Wayne
April 8, 2011 (2011-04-08)
209

Gwen must juggle things around, in which she has to help Ben and Kevin recapture Dr. Animo, fill out invitations for her mother Natalie's family reunion, help Kevin get into school, finish exams, and go to her best friend Emily's piano performance. All in one day.

30
10
"Ben 10,000 Returns"
Matt Youngberg
Dwayne McDuffie
April 15, 2011 (2011-04-15)
210

Following a visit from Paradox after a fight with Eon, Ben 10,000 from an alternate future arrives twenty years from the future to seek the aid of his sixteen-year-old past counterpart in tracking down Eon. It is revealed that Eon is actually an adult Ben from an alternate world, and that he wants to destroy all of the other Bens to become the one and only Ben Tennyson.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Ultimate Ben, Arctiguana, Clockwork, XLR8

31
11
"Moonstruck"
Butch Lukic
Len Uhley
April 22, 2011 (2011-04-22)
211

In flashbacks, Max tells the astounding story to Kevin, Gwen, and Ben of how he had met and fallen head-over-heels for Verdona when he was but seventeen years old in the 1940s.

32
12
"Prisoner Number 775 Is Missing"
Dan Riba
Peter David
April 29, 2011 (2011-04-29)
212

The secrets of Area 51 are revealed to Ben Tennyson by Colonel Rozum after Old George infiltrates and destroys it, setting free the 775th prisoner.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Ultimate Wildmutt, ChamAlien

text: Season 3 (2011–12)[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Prod.
code

33
1
"The Purge"
Butch Lukic
David McDermott
September 16, 2011 (2011-09-16)
301

Old George brings the Forever Knights in one group in order to vanquish every alien being on Earth.

34
2
"Simian Says"
Matt Youngberg
Charlotte Fullerton
September 23, 2011 (2011-09-23)
302

Simian accidentally unleashes a Xenocyte Queen which orchestrates an invasion of the Arachnichimps' planet. When Eunice goes missing, Ben, Gwen, and Kevin end up helping Simian liberate the Arachnichimps' planet from a DNAlien version of the Arachnichimp Mizaru.

35
3
"Greetings from Techadon"
Dan Riba
Charlotte Fullerton
September 30, 2011 (2011-09-30)
305

Techadon robots go after Ben on orders from Vulkanus to attain the Ultimatrix. Gwen and Kevin go across space to prevent Vulkanus from getting what he is after.

36
4
"The Flame Keepers' Circle"
Dan Riba
Brian Swenlin
October 7, 2011 (2011-10-07)
304

Julie joins a cult called the Flame Keepers' Circle. Unfortunately for her, Ben discovers that the Flame Keepers' Circle worships Vilgax; whom they mistake for the mighty Diagon because of his close squid-like resemblance.

37
5
"Double or Nothing"
Matt Youngberg
Len Uhley
October 14, 2011 (2011-10-14)
305

Albedo profits from Ben's fame and creates a play about him with the help of three alien actors based on the aliens in Ben's Ultimatrix.

38
6
"The Perfect Girlfriend"
Dan Riba
Stan Berkowitz
October 21, 2011 (2011-10-21)
306

Elena and the nanochips return and impersonate Julie while the real Julie is at a tennis tournament overseas. Ben does not catch onto this until the very end when the real Julie returns and causes Elena to realize that she had never really loved and cared about the real Ben in the first place. Now knowing what true hatred is, Elena disappears with a promise to return.

39
7
"The Ultimate Sacrifice"
Butch Lukic
Dwayne McDuffie and J.M. DeMatteis
October 28, 2011 (2011-10-28)
307

The ultimate aliens inside Ben's Ultimatrix demand their freedom and end up sucking Ben into the Ultimatrix. While Gwen assumes her innermost Anodite form as her astral projection to enter the Ultimatrix to help Ben, Kevin travels to planet Galvan Prime to convince Azmuth to help.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Ghostfreak (Ultimate Alien debut)

40
8
"The Widening Gyre"
Matt Youngberg
Eugene Son
November 4, 2011 (2011-11-04)
308

The gang look into the Pacific Garbage Vortex when some people have gone missing. When they arrive, they find the missing people and two agents sent by Colonel Rozum while dealing with giant seagulls and a sentient Trash Monster.

41
9
"The Mother of All Vreedles"
Dan Riba
Matt Wayne
November 18, 2011 (2011-11-18)
309

Ma Vreedle plans to spawn an army of Pretty Boy Vreedle clones, which could dry up Earth's oceans.

42
10
"A Knight to Remember"
Butch Lukic
Len Uhley and Matt Wayne
December 2, 2011 (2011-12-02)
310

Vilgax and the Flame Keepers' Circle fight against George and the Forever Knights along with Ben. Vilgax gets Diagon's heart and ends up being sucked into Diagon's own parallel dimension.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Eatle

43
11
"Solitary Alignment"
Matt Youngberg
Peter David
December 9, 2011 (2011-12-09)
311

Azmuth reveals in his memories how Old George had acquired the great sword, Ascalon, and how he sealed Diagon the first time millennia ago. In addition, he reveals the real reasons for creating the great and powerful Omnitrix and Ultimatrix.

44
12
"Inspector 13"
Butch Lukic
Geoffrey Thorne
February 4, 2012 (2012-02-04)
312

Techadon Weapon Master 13 arrives on Earth and demands to have the Ultimatrix. A malfunction grants Gwen and Kevin the forms and unique abilities of some of Ben's aliens.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Clockwork (official)

45
13
"The Enemy of My Frenemy"
Matt Youngberg
David McDermott and Brian Swenlin
February 11, 2012 (2012-02-11)
313

With the help of Hex, Gwen and the gang set out to rescue Charmcaster from her home world of Ledgerdomain. However, they are shocked to learn that Charmcaster's intentions bold ill for them all.

46
14
"Couples Retreat"
Dan Riba
Geoffrey Thorne
February 18, 2012 (2012-02-18)
314

Darkstar romantically charms Charmcaster and uses her intensely strong magical strength and abilities to his own evil advantage to absorb all of the infinite amounts of mystical energies from Ledgerdomain itself. Meanwhile, Gwen and Kevin have a disagreement over the protection of one of her spellbooks.

47
15
"Catch a Falling Star"
Butch Lukic
Len Uhley
February 25, 2012 (2012-02-25)
315

Jennifer Nocturne runs away with Captain Nemesis after freeing him from jail in hopes of creating a new life with him. Ben and Gwen pursue them, thinking Jennifer has been held against her will.

48
16
"The Eggman Cometh"
Matt Youngberg
Stan Berkowitz
March 3, 2012 (2012-03-03)
316

Dr. Animo returns with a plot to transform eggs into pterodactyls.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Jury Rigg

49
17
"Night of the Living Nightmare"
Dan Riba
Don McGregor
March 10, 2012 (2012-03-10)
317

Albedo returns and infects Ben with a Cassiopeian Dream Eater, trapping him into a dream world where he kept being attacked by several of his enemies.

50
18
"The Beginning of the End[a]"
Butch Lukic
Dan Riba
March 17, 2012 (2012-03-17)
318

The Forever Knights battle Diagon's Esoterica minions and Ben's plan to help the knights fails as they are, too, intent on fighting him to listen to reason.

51
19
"The Ultimate Enemy: Part 1"
Matt Youngberg
Matt Wayne
March 24, 2012 (2012-03-24)
319

Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and George try to stop Diagon's resurrection, but first, they must defeat the demon's herald: Vilgax, now merged with a Lucubra and is much stronger than ever. To make matters worse, Dagon releases a wave that transforms everyone on the planet into an Esoterica, save Ben, Gwen, Kevin, George, Julie, and Ship.

52
20
"The Ultimate Enemy: Part 2[b]"
Dan Riba
Dwayne McDuffie
March 31, 2012 (2012-03-31)
320

Ben fails to defeat the extradimensional Diagon, who proceeds to destroy Sir George by electrocuting him with dark lightning. Vilgax returns, capturing Diagon by Psyphon's power-absorbing machine. Psyphon proceeds to transfer Diagon's power to Vilgax, making the galactic conqueror into a nearly-unstoppable force. Ben wields George's sword, Ascalon, and uses it to drain Diagon's power from Vilgax. Reverted to his original form, Vilgax tries to corrupt Ben, asking what he plans to do with the combined power of Ascalon, Diagon, and the Ultimatrix but Gwen and Kevin both encourage Ben to resist Vilgax's temptation. Ben uses his infinite godly abilities to transform the Esoterica back into humans. Azmuth appears before them and asks Ben to return Ascalon and the Ultimatrix to him. He gives Ben a new version of the Omnitrix.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: Ultimate Way Big

text: Special (2011)[edit]

text:
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date

"Ben 10 / Generator Rex: Heroes United[c]"
Chris Graham and Kenji Ojo
Man of Action
November 25, 2011 (2011-11-25)

Ben teams up with an alternate superhero, Rex Salazar, to save the Earth from a deadly Alpha Nanite that entered New York through a swirling vortex, the same way Ben arrived in the city.
Ultimatrix alien debuts: XLR8 (official), Shocksquatch, Upgrade

text: DVD releases[edit]

text:
Volume
Season
Aspect ratio
Episodes
Time length
Release date

1. Ben 10: Ultimate Alien – Escape From Aggregor[1]
1
16:9[1]
10[1] (Episodes 1–10)
223 minutes[1]
 January 11, 2011
 December 1, 2010

2. Ben 10: Ultimate Alien – Power Struggle[2]
1
16:9[2]
10[2] (Episodes 11–20)
230 minutes[2]
 May 3, 2011
 April 5, 2011

3. Ben 10: Ultimate Alien – The Return of Heatblast[3][4]
2
16:9[3]
10[3] (Episodes 21–30)
230 minutes[3]
 August 2, 2011
 September 11, 2011[3][4]

4. Ben 10: Ultimate Alien – The Wild Truth[5]
2, 3
16:9[3]
12 (Episodes 31–42)
276 minutes
 December 6, 2011[5]
 November 30, 2011

5. Ben 10: Ultimate Alien – The Ultimate Ending[6]
3
16:9[3]
10 (Episodes 43–52)
220 minutes
 April 17, 2012[6]
 March 21, 2012