Vania King
USABiography of Vania King
Vania King is an American professional tennis player of Chinese descent. She is a two-time winner of Grand Slam tournaments in women's doubles. She was also a finalist in the Orange Bowl doubles tournament and the junior doubles tournament at a Grand Slam.
Early Life
Vania King was born into a family of immigrants from Taiwan. Her parents, David and Karen, immigrated to the United States in the early 1980s. Her brother, Phillip, was a two-time junior champion in the United States, and her sister, Ivana, was named the Ivy League's best doubles player in 2006. Vania's name was chosen for two reasons: it is an anagram of her sister Ivana's name, and her parents liked the Russian meaning of the name - "gift of God".
Tennis Career
Vania started playing tennis at the age of four, with her father as her first coach. At 14, in 2003, she reached the fourth position in the world rankings for girls under 18. In 2005, she reached the final of the US Open junior doubles tournament with partner Alexa Glatch. She began competing in ITF tournaments in the United States in 2003, and won her first ITF doubles tournament in Fort Worth, USA, the following year.
In 2005, as a 741st-ranked player, Vania qualified for the US Open and reached the second round. In 2006, she made further progress in her career, reaching the final of the WTA tournament in Guangzhou and winning the Japan Open in doubles. She also won the WTA tournament in Bangkok in both singles and doubles. Vania was invited to play for the United States Fed Cup team and ended the season in the top 100 in doubles and top 50 in singles.
Although her singles career stalled, Vania continued to excel in doubles. In 2007, she reached the finals of five doubles tournaments, including the Tokyo Tier I tournament, and won two of them. She also reached the third round of the US Open in both singles and doubles, finishing the year ranked 27th in doubles.
In 2008, Vania played in three WTA finals, winning the Tokyo Tier I tournament with Nadia Petrova. She reached the third round of Wimbledon with Alla Kudryavtseva, losing to top-seeded Cara Black and Liezel Huber. These results allowed her to maintain her position among the top 50 doubles players. She briefly returned to the top 100 in singles after reaching the second round of the French Open.
In 2009, Vania reached the finals of two WTA tournaments and won both of them. She also reached the third round of the French Open and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. She made her first Grand Slam final appearance in mixed doubles at the French Open, where she and Marcelo Melo defeated two seeded pairs. She reached the third round in both singles and doubles at the US Open, which helped her return to the top 100 in singles.
In 2010, Vania achieved new milestones in her career. She reached six finals in women's doubles tournaments, winning three of them, including her first Grand Slam title. She and her partner Yaroslava Shvedova won the Wimbledon Championships, defeating four seeded pairs along the way. They also won the US Open three months later. These victories propelled Vania into the top 20 doubles players in the world rankings.
