Just hours before a nation saluted Ash Barty when she famously won the Australian Open in stunning style, Mil Lel made some magic of its own by making a massive statement in the return of the Mount Gambier and District Tennis Association.

Even if the biggest Barty Party ever was not on the horizon, excitement was always going to be in the air at Pinehall Avenue.

It was all to play for in the 11th round of Division 3 tennis when Suttontown Tigers faced off against Mil Lel.

Throughout the first segment of the summer, the rivals emerged as the clear standouts, so it was appropriate for them to fight for the ladder lead upon return.

Holding the high ground on the ladder and the home-court advantage heading into the battle, the Tiger were the slim favourites.

This was backed up by the opening rubber when Brody Sharam overcame Jason Brooks 6-3.

After the players fought some entertaining rallies, Sharam’s ambidextrous abilities prevailed.

But on the other court, Jorja Douglas was helping the visitors show their shades of Barty.

Douglas received some stiff resistance from Agnes Doyle as the pair went back and forth in a tight set.

Mil Lel’s Douglas managed 7-5 in what proved the be the tightest singles battle as Mil Lel proved its credentials.

Jessica Douglas was in strong form, turning her contest with Eleanor Doyle into a procession winning six-love.

Patrick Robinson also showed a similar amount of disdain to his opponent, Cory Sharam.

The Mil Lel man won 6-1, while CJ Arnold had a tougher time against Tom Inglis.

Inglis was strong around the net and managed to steal some games at key times to stay in the hunt, but Arnold rose when it mattered to hold on 6-4.

The Tiger to join Brody Sharam on the singles winner’s list was Casey Sampson.

Sampson held off Kate Fabian to score a 6-4 win against the grain.

With double the amount of singles wins, Mil Lel had every reason to be confident when the players teamed up in pairs for the next stage of the top-of-the-table clash.

However, reserve player Steve Dehmel thought he could swing the momentum Suttontown’s way when stepping onto the court for the first time.

After skipping the singles, Dehmel joined Cory Sharam and they breathed life into the contest by showing some promising signs of a fightback.

The Tigers’ duo dominated their doubles contest, smashing Brooks and Robinson 6-1.

The comprehensive win could have inspired a late charge from the home side, but Mil Lel’s mindset was not going to be disturbed.

When Dehmel joined Brody Sharam, he was unable to pull off the win as Arnold and Brooks ensured normal service resumed winning 6-3.

It sparked another dominant run for the visitors as their big names lifted.

Arnold scored another comfortable win alongside Robinson, while Fabian and Jorja Douglas were in even better touch cruising past Sampson and Agnes Doyle.

With the ladder lead already secured, the only hiccup towards the end of the day for Mil Lel arrived in the form of Sampson and Eleanor Doyle.

Both Tigers forced visiting duo Fabian and Jessica Douglas to fight until the very last point as their doubles encounter delightfully went into a tiebreaker.

Despite the home side showing some fight, victory once again went Mil Lel’s way 7-6.

Although Mil Lel had already made a massive statement over the course of the afternoon, the Douglas sisters had saved their best performance for the last rubber.

They played with great harmony to beat Agnes and Eleanor Doyle 6-1 and finish Mil Lel’s stunning Saturday with a bang.

The 9-3 win vaults Mil Lel to the top of the ladder ahead of the Tigers, while the latter’s disappointment was amended by its sister team.

The Suttontown Dons was in top form, cruising past Moorak in a one-sided contest at Olympic Park.

Daniel Smith, Nathan Beck, Joanne Millar, Trudy-Anne Doyle and Stephanie Beck were at their best, navigating their way through the entire afternoon undefeated to setup the 10-2 victory.

Aaron Pettingill, Nathan and Brooke Hammond were the only players to taste success for Moorak.

Despite the ladder lead changing hands at Pinehall Avenue, the match of the round actually took place at Corriedale Park where Uniting and Centrals faced off.

Uniting has been the more consistent team heading into the game in third place, but an almighty scare from the fifth-placed Centrals created a classic.

Centrals made its intentions clear straight away when Dane Heemskerk smashed Travis Crowe 6-1.

But Uniting turned the tables when Sergio Cesaro overcame Mitch Duryea by the same margin.

The opening rubbers set the trend for a fascinating afternoon of tennis as the teams traded punches each set.

No one could string together consecutive wins as it all went down to the final two sets after Amber Kidman and Maddy McGregor won a tiebreaker to keep Centrals alive.

But the visitors’ momentum was stalled by Jess Stewart and Sue Murray, who put Uniting in the box seat by rising to the occasion and winning 6-0.

Murray jumped back on court alongside Bec Hog in the final doubles clash with the aim of sealing the contest.

But Uniting’s Jaslyn Poel and McGregor were equally determined and gave their team hope.

Despite Poel and McGregor eventually emerging on top and scoring double the amount of games as their opponents to win the all-important final set, they did not do enough.

Uniting managed to scrap together enough games to win 54-50 after all 12 sets were shared evenly.