Wildcards Augustine and Rolle Fall in First Round Doubles Match

Tennis fans packed the stands on Court Two for Tuesday’s first round doubles match between Americans Brittany Augustine and Ahsha Rolle and Russia’s Anna Chakvetadze and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
Despite the partisan crowd cheering them on, Augustine and Rolle, who entered the doubles draw as a wildcard team, were overmatched as they fell 6-1, 6-1, in 45 minutes.
The crowd cheered when Rolle fired an ace to open the match. Unfortunately for the Americans, that was one of the few highlights as Rolle dropped serve when Augustine missed an overhead at 30-40.
Azarenka served next with a 1-0 lead. When the score reached 40-40, Rolle chose to receive under the new doubles rules on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour which use No-Ad scoring in the first two sets and a match tiebreak in lieu of a third set. Azarenka held serve when Agustine poached and netted a volley.
With a 2-0 deficit, Augustine held serve in the next game to put the Americans on the scoreboard, but it would be their only game of the set. Rolle and Agustine showed great touch at the net during the set, but were unable to handle the power and experience of Azarenka Chakvetadze.
In the final game of the first set, with Augustine serving at 30-30, Rolle hit a heavy forehand that caught the net cord giving Chakvetadze the opportunity for an easy put away over Augustine’s head.  The Russian then won the set with a perfect down the line passing shot.
Chakvetadze and Azarenka took total control of the second set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead as they won 20 of the next 26 points.  Rolle held serve in the sixth game when she blasted three service winners in a row, but that would be the last hurrah for the Americans. The final game of the second set displayed some of the best shot making in the match, but Azarenka and Chakvetadze prevailed to move into the second round. 

• Azarenka and Chakvetadze advance to a second round match against Andreea Ehritt-Vanc of Romania and Anastasia Rodionova of Russia.
• Chakvetadze is ranked 78 in the world in doubles.
• Chakvetadze has represented Russia in Fed Cup play.
• Azarenka is ranked 86 in the world.
• Azarenka has represented Belarus in Fed Cup play.
• Rolle is ranked 239 in the world in doubles.
• Rolle qualified for the singles main draw of the 2007 Australian Open.
• Rolle and Agustine made their Acura Classic debut.
• Augustine, one of the top-ranked U.S. juniors, lives in Carson and trains at the USTA West Coast Training Center at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

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