Vania King was recruited this weekend by Fed Cup captain, Zina Garrison, to represent the U.S. against Russia. In the same position last year, she tamely came up short against Anna Chakvatadze 6-1, 6-3 on her home turf in Stowe, Vermont. She was easily outplayed by her opponent’s precision backcourt game.
This year, King, the 19 year old daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, demonstrated her development as a player and competitor. While she lost in both her matches (leading to a 3-2 overall defeat in this semifinal tie), King should take heart that she played smartly and very easily could have taken both matches. In her re-match with Chakvetadze, King bravely bashed her backhand into the corners and kept Anna on the run. A few lapses in concentration separated the two players, and ultimately made the difference at the end of each set. She lost 6-4, 7-6. In her second match, King took a set off world no. 13, Vera Zvonareva, but couldn’t close the deal losing, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
(Chakvetadze herself is coming through her own challenges this year, mainly from off court demons. Over the winter break between tennis seasons, Chakvetadze and her family with whom she still lives, were tied up and burglarized in their own home. Earlier this year, she reported posttraumatic stress and difficulty sleeping.)
King has strong potential to be a top 20 fixture on the women’s tour, maybe even top 10. If she can continue to evolve her belief in herself, I have a strong suspicion that within the year, King will be able to topple top 10 players and assert herself near the top of the next generation of American stars.
(photo courtesy www.vaniaking.net)
