Vania King (born February 3, 1989) is a retired American tennis player. A former top-10 doubles player, King won both the Wimbledon and US Open women's doubles titles in 2010 with partner Yaroslava Shvedova, with whom she also reached the final of the 2011 US Open. She won a total of 15 doubles titles on the WTA Tour and reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world. She also ended runner-up in the mixed-doubles final at the French Open in 2009, with Marcelo Melo.

Vania King (金久慈)
King at the 2018 French Open
Country (sports) United States
ResidenceBoynton Beach, Florida
Born (1989-02-03) February 3, 1989 (age 35)
Monterey Park, California
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Turned proJuly 2006
RetiredApril 6, 2021[1]
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money$4,556,888
Singles
Career record269–250 (51.8%)
Career titles1
Highest rankingNo. 50 (November 6, 2006)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (2012)
French Open3R (2011)
Wimbledon2R (2006, 2009)
US Open3R (2009, 2011)
Doubles
Career record324–204 (61.4%)
Career titles15
Highest rankingNo. 3 (June 6, 2011)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenQF (2012, 2016, 2018)
French OpenSF (2011)
WimbledonW (2010)
US OpenW (2010)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsSF (2010, 2011)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open2R (2018)
French OpenF (2009)
Wimbledon2R (2007, 2014)
US OpenQF (2006)
Team competitions
Fed Cup5–7 (41.7%)
Vania King
Chinese

In singles, King has been ranked as high as No. 50 in the world. Her biggest accomplishments included a WTA Tour title at the 2006 Bangkok Open and two runner-up finishes at the 2013 Guangzhou International and 2016 Jianxi International. She also progressed as far as the third round in Grand Slam tournaments, doing so on four occasions (the 2009 US Open, the 2011 French Open, the 2011 US Open, and the 2012 Australian Open).

King announced her retirement on April 6, 2021[1]

Personal life edit

King's parents moved to the United States from Taiwan in 1982.[2] She is the youngest of four children. Her brother Phillip was a two-time All-American at Duke University and two-time US junior champion. Vania is a graduate of Long Beach Poly High School in California.

Tennis career edit

2006–2009 edit

In 2006, King won her only WTA Tour singles title at the Bangkok Open, a Tier-III tournament where she defeated Tamarine Tanasugarn in the final. In November, she achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 50.

In 2009, she reached the mixed-doubles final at the French Open alongside Brazilian player Marcelo Melo, losing to top-seeded team Liezel Huber/Bob Bryan.

King lost in the second round of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships to No. 15, Flavia Pennetta. She played in the ladies' doubles with Anna-Lena Grönefeld, losing in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Venus and Serena Williams.

At the US Open, King was granted a wildcard and had her best singles Grand Slam performance. She was defeated in the third round by world No. 22, Daniela Hantuchová.

2010 edit

King began the year ranked No. 80 in the world at the Brisbane International. She reached the second round of the singles tournament, losing to Andrea Petkovic. In doubles, she partnered with Anna-Lena Grönefeld and lost in the first round to Timea Bacsinszky and Tathiana Garbin. King and Grönefeld fared better at the Sydney International, where they were seeded fourth. They lost in the semifinals to Garbin and Nadia Petrova. In the singles tournament, King failed to qualify, losing in the first round of the qualifying tournament to top seed Ágnes Szávay, who went on to defeat Jelena Janković in the first round of the tournament.

At the Australian Open, King lost in the second round to Roberta Vinci. In doubles, she partnered with Grönefeld again and entered the tournament seeded 14th. They lost in the second round to Svetlana Kuznetsova and Victoria Azarenka.

King's next bigger tournament was the Memphis Cup in mid-February. She entered the singles draw seeded seventh and lost in the second round to Sofia Arvidsson. In the doubles tournament, she and partner Michaëlla Krajicek were seeded third and won the title without dropping a set, defeating Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Shaughnessy in the final.

King then traveled to the Monterrey Open. In doubles, she reunited with Grönefeld and reached the final as the top seed, falling to second-seeded pair Benešová/Záhlavová. In singles, she lost in the quarterfinals to second seed Daniela Hantuchová.At the Indian Wells Open, King lost in the second round to No. 2, Caroline Wozniacki. She did not enter the doubles tournament. She fared better in the Miami Open later that month. King partnered with Julie Coin and reached the quarterfinals of the doubles tournament, before losing to third seeds Petrova and Samantha Stosur, who went on to become the runners-up.

Her next Premier event was the Charleston Open, where she reunited with Krajicek and reached the final, before falling to top seeds Huber and Petrova. In singles, she lost to Petrova in the second round.At the Madrid Open, King paired with Chuang Chia-jung for the first time for the doubles tournament. They defeated fourth seeds Huber and Anabel Medina Garrigues, before falling in the quarterfinals to Pe'er and Francesca Schiavone. In singles, King lost in the first round to Karolina Šprem.She then entered the Strasbourg International. In the doubles tournament, she partnered with Alizé Cornet and won the title after an injury to Lucie Hradecká forced top seeds Hradecká/Chuang to retire in the second round. King/Cornet defeated second seeds Rodionova/Kudryavtseva in the final for her tenth tour doubles title. In singles, King defeated second seed Elena Vesnina in the first round and reached the semifinals, falling there to Kristina Barrois.

At the French Open, she lost in the first round to Mattek-Sands. She entered the mixed-doubles tournament with Christopher Kas, reaching the semifinals, before falling to Shvedova and Julian Knowle. In women's doubles with Krajicek, she reached the second round losing to fourth-seeded Petrova and Stosur.

At Wimbledon, King won the ladies' doubles title in straight sets with Yaroslava Shvedova. They defeated Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva in the final.At the US Open, King and Shvedova won their second Grand Slam doubles title, defeating the second-seeded pair Huber/Petrova in a rain-delayed final.At the Stanford Classic, Vania lost to Sorana Cîrstea.[3]

2011 edit

King and Shvedova made the finals of the US Open, losing to Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond.

King made it to the finals of five other WTA tournaments in the course of the year, one in Monterrey with Grönefeld and in Rome, Cincinnati, Osaka, and Moscow with Shvedova. She and Shvedova won the events in Cincinnati in August and Moscow in October.

2012 edit

King reached the third round of the Australian Open at the start of the year, losing to Ana Ivanovic. She had defeated Kateryna Bondarenko in the first round.

She reached the second round of the Carlsbad Open in July, losing to Marion Bartoli.[4]

In doubles, she reached the final in Stanford with Jarmila Gajdošová and in Carlsbad with Nadia Petrova, but lost to Marina Erakovic and Heather Watson in Stanford and to Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears in Carlsbad.

2013 edit

King at Cagnes-sur-Mer, 2013

In singles action, King lost in the Guangzhou final to Zhang Shuai. King lost in the second round of the French Open and in the first round of the other three Slans. In doubles that year, her best finish was a finals loss in Guangzhou.

2014 edit

In doubles, King made the second round at the Australian Open partnering Galina Voskoboeva. They lost to the Czech/Dutch pair of Hradecká and Krajicek.

She partnered with Barbora Strýcová in Florianópolis, and they made it to the semifinals before being defeated by Medina Garrigues and Shvedova. She was eliminated in the first round in Indian Wells, and the second round in Miami, but made it to the final in Bogotá, partnering Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa.

Partnering Zheng Jie, she made a quarterfinal appearance in Madrid, losing to Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci. Then followed a series of first-round losses, including Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

She had some success in the late summer, making the quarterfinals in Washington, partnering Taylor Townsend, and the third round at the US Open, partnering Lisa Raymond.

In singles, she made the semifinals in Shenzhen, but had to concede a walkover. She made a first-round exit at the Australian Open at the hands of Carla Suárez Navarro. At the Pattaya Open, she was defeated by Elena Vesnina in the first round. A series of first-round defeats followed in Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis, and Indian Wells.

She made the second round in Miami and Charleston, but it was not until April in Bogotá that she found some form and made it to the semifinals. She went down in the first round in both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, but she did make the quarterfinals in Washington, D.C.

At the US Open, she defeated Francesca Schiavone in the first round, but lost to eventual champion Serena Williams in the second.

2015 edit

King missed the first three majors of 2015 due to injury. She lost in the first round of singles and the second round of doubles there in Flushing. The highlight of her year came on hardcourts in Waco, where King and Nicole Gibbs won in November, defeating Julia Glushko and Rebecca Peterson.

2017 edit

King reunited with the doubles partner with whom she had had the most success, Yaroslava Shvedova. They made it to the semifinals in Sydney where they lost to Sania Mirza and Barbora Strýcová.

At the Australian Open, King and Shvedova advanced to the third round, where they lost to Mirjana Lučić-Baroni and Andrea Petkovic. They were stopped in the second round of Indian Wells by the Japanese/Chinese pair of Shuko Aoyama and Yang Zhaoxuan. In Miami, they went on to the quarterfinals, where they again lost to Mirza and Strýcová.

Performance timelines edit

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#P#DNQAZ#POGSBNMSNTIPNH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles edit

Tournament20052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAQ31R1RQ22R2R3R1R1RA2R1RA5–9
French OpenA1R1R2RQ21R3R2R2R1RAQ2A1R5–9
WimbledonA2R1R1R2R1R1R1R1R1RAQ3AA2–9
US Open2R2R1R1R3R2R3R1R1R2R1R2RA2R10–13
Win–loss1–12–30–41–43–22–45–43–41–41–40–12–20–11–222–40
WTA 1000
Indian Wells OpenA3R2R2R1R2R1R3R1R1RA2R1RA8–11
Miami OpenA2R2R2RQ11R1R2RQ12RA2RAA6–8
Madrid OpenNot HeldQ1Q12R1RAQ1AAAA1–2
Italian OpenAAAA1RA1R2RAQ1A2RAA2–4
Canadian OpenAAA1RQ12R1RAQ1AAAAA1–3
Cincinnati OpenNot heldNot Tier IA1R1R1R2RAAAAQ11–4
Pan Pacific/Wuhan OpenNot Tier IQ1A3R1RAAAAAQ22–2
China OpenNot heldNot Tier 12RAA1RAAAQ1AA1–2

Doubles edit

Tournament20052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021SRW–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian OpenAA2R1R1R2R1RQF1R2RAQF3RQF1R1RA0 / 1314–13
French OpenA1R1R1R3R2RSFQF3R1RA1RA3RAAA0 / 1114–11
WimbledonA1R1R3RQFW2R1R3R1RA2RA3RANHA1 / 1117–10
US Open1R2R3R1R3RWF3R2R3R2R3RA1RSFAA1 / 1428–13
Win–loss0–11–33–42–47–414–210–48–45–43–41–16–42–17–44–20–10–02 / 4973–47
Year-end championships
WTA Tour ChampionshipsDid not qualifySFSFDid not qualifyNHDNQ0 / 20–2
WTA 1000
Indian Wells OpenAAQF1R1RAQF2R1R1RAQF2RQFANHA0 / 1010–10
Miami OpenAA2R1R1RQF1RSF1R2RAQFQF2RANH1R0 / 1212–12
Madrid OpenNot Held2RQFSF1RAQFASFAAANHA0 / 611–6
Italian OpenAAAAAAF2RA1RA1RAQFAAA0 / 57–5
Canadian OpenAAA2R1R2RAA1RAAAAAANHA0 / 42–4
Cincinnati OpenNot Tier IA2RWA2RAAQFA1RAAA1 / 58–4
Pan Pacific/Wuhan OpenAAFW1R1RSF1RAAAAA2R2RNH1 / 811–6
China OpenNot Tier I1RSFSF2R2RAA2RAA1RNH0 / 77–7

Mixed doubles edit

Tournament20042005200620072008200920102011201220132014...20172018W–L
Australian OpenAAAA1RAA1RA1RA1R2R1–5
French OpenAAA1RAFSF1RAAAA2R8–5
WimbledonAAA2R1R1R1R1RAA2RA1R2–7
US Open1RAQF2RA1R1R1RAAAA1R3–7
Win–loss0–10–02–12–30–24–33–30–40–00–11–10–12–414–24

Significant finals edit

Grand Slam tournaments edit

Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up) edit

ResultYearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win2010WimbledonGrass Yaroslava Shvedova7–6(8–6), 6–2
Win2010US OpenHard Yaroslava Shvedova2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–4)
Loss2011US Open (2)Hard Yaroslava Shvedova Liezel Huber
Lisa Raymond
6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(3–7)

Mixed doubles: 1 (runner-up) edit

ResultYearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss2009French OpenClay Marcelo Melo7–5, 6–7(5–7), [7–10]

WTA 1000 finals edit

Doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups) edit

ResultYearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss2007Pan Pacific OpenHard Rennae Stubbs Lisa Raymond
Samantha Stosur
6–7(6–8), 6–3, 5–7
Win2008Pan Pacific OpenHard Nadia Petrova Lisa Raymond
Samantha Stosur
6–1, 6–4
Loss2011Italian OpenClay Yaroslava Shvedova Peng Shuai
Zheng Jie
2–6, 3–6
Win2011Cincinnati OpenHard Yaroslava Shvedova Natalie Grandin
Vladimíra Uhlířová
6–4, 3–6, [11–9]

WTA career finals edit

Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups) edit

Legend
Grand Slam
WTA 1000
WTA 500
WTA 250 (1–2)
Finals by surface
Hard (1–2)
Grass (0–0)
Clay (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0Oct 2006Bangkok Open, ThailandTier IIIHard Tamarine Tanasugarn2–6, 6–4, 6–4
Loss1–1Sep 2013Guangzhou Open, ChinaInternationalHard Zhang Shuai6–7(1), 1–6
Loss1–2Aug 2016Jiangxi Open, ChinaInternationalHard Duan Yingying6–1, 4–6, 2–6

Doubles: 33 (15 titles, 18 runner-ups) edit

Legend
Grand Slam (2–1)
WTA 1000 (2–2)
Premier (1–4)
International (10–11)
Finals by surface
Hard (12–13)
Grass (1–2)
Clay (2–3)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1Oct 2006Guangzhou Open, ChinaTier IIIHard Jelena Kostanić Tošić4–6, 6–2, 5–7
Win1–1Oct 2006Japan OpenTier IIIHard Jelena Kostanić Tošić7–6(2), 5–7, 6–2
Win2–1Oct 2006Bangkok Open, ThailandTier IIIHard Jelena Kostanić Tošić7–5, 2–6, 7–5
Loss2–2Feb 2007Pan Pacific Open, JapanTier IHard Rennae Stubbs6–7(6), 6–3, 5–7
Win3–2May 2007Morocco OpenTier IVClay Sania Mirza6–1, 6–2
Win4–2Sep 2007Sunfeast Open, IndiaTier IIIHard Alla Kudryavtseva6–1, 6–4
Loss4–3Oct 2007Guangzhou Open, ChinaTier IIIHard Sun Tiantian3–6, 4–6
Loss4–4Oct 2007Japan OpenTier IIIHard Chuang Chia-jung Sun Tiantian
Yan Zi
6–1, 2–6 [6–10]
Loss4–5Feb 2008Pattaya Open, ThailandTier IVHard Hsieh Su-wei Chan Yung-jan
Chuang Chia-jung
4–6, 3–6
Win5–5Sep 2008Pan Pacific Open, JapanTier IHard Nadia Petrova Lisa Raymond
Samantha Stosur
6–1, 6–4
Win6–5Nov 2008Tournoi de Québec, CanadaTier IIIHard Anna-Lena Grönefeld7–6(3), 6–4
Win7–5Jan 2009Brisbane International, AustraliaInternationalHard Anna-Lena Grönefeld3–6, 7–5, [10–5]
Win8–5Sep 2009Tournoi de Québec,
Canada (2)
InternationalHard Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová6–1, 6–3
Win9–5Feb 2010National Indoors, U.S.InternationalHard Michaëlla Krajicek7–5, 6–2
Loss9–6Mar 2010Monterrey Open, MexicoInternationalHard Anna-Lena Grönefeld Iveta Benešová
Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová
6–3, 4–6, [8–10]
Loss9–7Apr 2010Charleston Open, U.S.PremierClay Michaëlla Krajicek Liezel Huber
Nadia Petrova
3–6, 4–6
Win10–7May 2010Internationaux de Strasbourg,
France
InternationalClay Alizé Cornet Alla Kudryavtseva
Anastasia Rodionova
3–6, 6–4, [10–7]
Loss10–8Jun 2010Rosmalen Open, NetherlandsInternationalGrass Yaroslava Shvedova Alla Kudryavtseva
Anastasia Rodionova
6–3, 3–6, [6–10]
Win11–8Jul 2010Wimbledon, UKGrand SlamGrass Yaroslava Shvedova7–6(6), 6–2
Win12–8Sep 2010US OpenGrand SlamHard Yaroslava Shvedova Liezel Huber
Nadia Petrova
2–6, 6–4, 7–6(4)
Loss12–9Mar 2011Monterrey Open, MexicoInternationalHard Anna-Lena Grönefeld Iveta Benešová
Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová
7–6(8), 2–6, [6–10]
Loss12–10May 2011Italian OpenPremier 5Clay Yaroslava Shvedova Peng Shuai
Zheng Jie
2–6, 3–6
Win13–10Aug 2011Cincinnati Open, U.S.Premier 5Hard Yaroslava Shvedova Natalie Grandin
Vladimíra Uhlířová
6–4, 3–6, [11–9]
Loss13–11Sep 2011US OpenGrand SlamHard Yaroslava Shvedova Liezel Huber
Lisa Raymond
6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(3)
Loss13–12Oct 2011Japan Women's OpenInternationalHard Yaroslava Shvedova5–7, 6–3, [9–11]
Win14–12Oct 2011Kremlin Cup, RussiaPremierHard (i) Yaroslava Shvedova Anastasia Rodionova
Galina Voskoboeva
7–6(3), 6–3
Loss14–13Jul 2012Silicon Valley Classic, U.S.PremierHard Jarmila Gajdošová5–7, 6–7(7)
Loss14–14Jul 2012Southern California Open, U.S.PremierHard Nadia Petrova2–6, 4–6
Loss14–15Sep 2012Korea Open, South KoreaInternationalHard Akgul Amanmuradova Raquel Kops-Jones
Abigail Spears
6–2, 2–6, [8–10]
Loss14–16Sep 2013Guangzhou Open, ChinaInternationalHard Galina Voskoboeva Hsieh Su-wei
Peng Shuai
3–6, 6–4, [10–12]
Loss14–17Apr 2014Copa Colsanitas, ColombiaInternationalClay Chanelle Scheepers6–7(5), 4–6
Win15–17Jan 2016Shenzhen Open, ChinaInternationalHard Monica Niculescu6–1, 6–4
Loss15–18Jun 2016Birmingham Classic, UKPremierGrass Alla Kudryavtseva Karolína Plíšková
Barbora Strýcová
3–6, 6–7(1)

WTA 125 tournament finals edit

Doubles: 1 (runner-up) edit

ResultW–L   Date   TournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1Mar 2018Indian Wells Challenger, United StatesHard Jennifer Brady Taylor Townsend
Yanina Wickmayer
4–6, 4–6

ITF Circuit finals edit

Singles: 2 (runner–ups) edit

Legend
$100,000 tournaments
$75,000 tournaments
$50,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments
Finals by surface
Hard (0–2)
Clay (0–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–L   Date   TournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–1Nov 2005ITF Tucson, United States75,000Hard Yuliana Fedak5–7, 0–6
Loss0–2Feb 2016ITF Rancho Santa Fe, United States25,000Hard Zhang Shuai6–1, 5–7, 4–6

Doubles: 8 (7 titles, 1 runner–up) edit

Legend
$100,000 tournaments
$80,000 tournaments
$50/$60,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments
Finals by surface
Hard (6–1)
Clay (1–0)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
ResultW–L   Date   TournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1–0Jun 2004ITF Fort Worth, United States10,000Hard Anne Mall Neha Uberoi
Shikha Uberoi
2–6, 6–3, 7–5(5)
Loss1–1Jul 2004ITF Evansville, United States10,000Hard Heidi El Tabakh Kelly Schmandt
Aleke Tsoubanos
4–6, 4–6
Win2–1Aug 2009Bronx Open, United States100,000+HHard Anna-Lena Grönefeld Julie Coin
Marie-Ève Pelletier
6–0, 6–2
Win3–1May 2013Open de Cagnes-sur-Mer, France100,000Clay Arantxa Rus Catalina Castaño
Teliana Pereira
4–6, 7–5, [10–8]
Win4–1Nov 2015Waco Showdown, United States50,000Hard Nicole Gibbs Julia Glushko
Rebecca Peterson
6–4, 6–4
Win5–1Feb 2018Burnie International, Australia60,000Hard Laura Robson Momoko Kobori
Chihiro Muramatsu
7–6(3), 6–1
Win6–1Aug 2019ITF Landisville, United States60,000Hard Claire Liu Hayley Carter
Jamie Loeb
4–6, 6–2, [10–5]
Win7–1Mar 2021ITF Newport Beach, United States25,000Hard Maegan Manasse Emina Bektas
Tara Moore
6–4, 6–2

Junior Grand Slam finals edit

Doubles: 1 (runner-up) edit

ResultYearTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss2005US OpenHard Alexa Glatch Nikola Fraňková
Alisa Kleybanova
5–7, 6–7(3)

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Queen of the court: Vania King says farewell".
  2. ^ "Champion tennis player seeks more Taiwanese fan support - the China Post". Archived from the original on September 19, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  3. ^ "Success for younger Radwanska in Stanford". July 11, 2012.
  4. ^ "Bartoli Outlasts King, Chan's Ninth & Biggest". Retrieved July 22, 2012.

External links edit