Tennis

Miami Shores woman wins Coats title

Asha Rolle avenges a loss by beating Anda Perianu 6-4, 6-3.

By NANCY MORGAN
Published January 31, 2005

CLEARWATER - Asha Rolle, 19, of Miami Shores won her first Pro Circuit championship Sunday in the $10,000 Sheriff Jim Coats Clearwater Women's Open at the McMullen Tennis Complex.

The tournament's No.8 seed beat qualifier Anda Perianu, 24, of Romania 6-4, 6-3.

"It's a beautiful feeling to win my first tournament," said Rolle, ranked No.388 in the world. "I played Anda last year, and she beat me 6-3 in the third. I knew she was a good baseliner and liked a hard, flat ball. So I didn't want to bang-bang with her from the baseline."

Instead, Rolle mixed slices and high balls with powerful groundstrokes, occasionally coming to the net.

"The forehand's my weapon, and using that with some off-pace backhands, I think, caused her to make some errors," Rolle said. "After I won the first set, I thought I had a chance to win the match. But a turning point for me really was when I held serve and went up 4-3 in the second set."

Rolle then broke Perianu's serve and held at 40-15 to close out the match.

Rolle, who is in just her second full year on the WTA Tour, might receive a wild card into the $75,000 Pro Circuit event in Midland, Mich., next month.

Rolle and her sister, Tiya, 18, train at the Key Biscayne Tennis Center with former pro Lori McNeil and Gibson Beautelus.

Perianu, ranked No.636 and a senior at Oklahoma, said she plans to graduate before focusing on her pro career.

In the doubles final, unseeded Americans Lauren Fisher and Amanda Johnson outlasted the top seeds, Anna Bastrikova of Russia and Natallia Dziamidzenka of Bulgaria, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

[Last modified January 31, 2005, 00:38:15]