In singles table tennis, a legal serve must bounce twice before the receiver returns it: once on the server’s side and once on the receiver’s side.
The server must first make the ball bounce on their own half of the table, after which it must pass over or around the net assembly and bounce on the receiver’s half. The receiver then plays the return after that second bounce.
This differs from the number of bounces in doubles service, where the ball must travel diagonally from the server’s right half to the receiver’s right half. The essential singles rule is the same two-stage path across the table, but singles does not require a diagonal court.
A serve that touches the net and otherwise lands correctly is a let and is replayed. A serve that fails to land on the opponent’s side is a service fault and gives the receiver a point.