15 November 2012 | Tennis Victoria

In one of the more remarkable occurrences in tennis, the first round match between Waverley Warriors’ Captain Aaron Leeder-Chard and Bundoora Bulls’ Brandon Bryant was decided by a let-cord.

With the scores locked at a set all, three all in the third set and four all in the first to five point tiebreaker, it was sudden death and the match would be determined by one point.

Leeder-Chard stepped up for his first serve, the ball clipped the net at full force and dropped over, barely clearing the net. Under the new ATL rules, if the ball hits the net and lands in the correct service box, it’s play on. A desperate Bryant tried his best to reach the ball but couldn’t, so the match was won by Leeder-Chard in what many described as the strangest finish to a tennis match they had seen.

After the match, Leeder-Chard called the shot a “cheeky” way to claim the match.

“When it went over, I was a bit shocked, but then I realised what was going on and got the ace!”

The large crowd watching on gasped in amazement as they came to grips with what had happened.

Tennis Victoria’s Competitions Manager Jeff Downes said this moment epitomised what the ATL was all about.

“This really highlights the ATL – short, fast and unpredictable,” said Downes.

“The format is a break away from tradition and really promotes aggressive tennis and makes tennis more attractive for the spectators.”

The win helped the Warriors to a five rubbers to one win over Bundoora Bulls, while Kooyong Classics had a hard fought four rubbers to two win over Dingley Dingoes and Liston Seagulls were too strong for the Donvale Devils winning five rubbers to one.

On the women’s side, Frankston Firebirds defeated Belgrave Rangers, while Kooyong Classics solidified their reputation as favourites for the conference, with a five sets to one victory over MCC Demons.

The second round of the ATL kicks off on Friday night at Liston for the men and Frankston for the women.

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