New Haven Independent

King survived a leg cramp to win her first match at the Pilot Pen in two sets.

But for a while it looked dicey.

David King started Vania preparing for a tennis career at the age of 4. That’s right, 4. (He had her doing “exercises” then, he said; serious training began at 7.)

David, Vania, and Vania’s older sister Mindy arrived in New Haven Friday on their latest stop of Vania’s summer tournament tour. As they posed in a Pilot Pen trailer for their photos for their tournament credentials, David spoke of Vania’s accomplishments. She’s now ranked 28th worldwide in doubles, 81st in singles. Last year she became the first American 17-year-old to win a WTA title since a certain other young woman coached by a hard-driving father. Vania joined the Williams sisters on this year’s U.S. Fed Cup team.

As David sang her praises in English, Vania interrupted him in her native tongue, with what sounded like a sharp rebuke. David changed the subject.

Vania saved her display of talent for the main court, where she faced 30-year-old Tathiana Garbin of Italy Sunday afternoon.

King beat Barbin 6-4 in the first set. Then she fell behind fast in the second set, 4-1. She recently recovered from a wrist injury that kept her out of several tournaments this summer. This time, though, it was her left calf that was bothering her.

After recapturing two games, King called a medical timeout so her calf could be wrapped in a bandage. She returned to the court with gusto, dominating Barbin without pause and capturing each subsequent game, to take the second set 6-4, and the match.

Dad David was relieved. He expects his kids to win. Vania’s older brother Phillip, now 25, played at Duke and won two junior titles; an injury sidelined him for a crucial year.

David moved from Hailen, Taiwan, to Long Beach, California, in 1981 in search of the American Dream. Not just for himself, but for his kids, whom he groomed to achieve.

“In the U.S. tennis is a great opportunity to serve your country and to go to the best school,” David said. Vania’s elder twin sisters attend Princeton and University of Pennsylvania. Vania was accepted to Stanford, but decided to stay on the circuit instead.

David owned fish-and-chips and pizza restaurants in California for 20 years. No longer. His job is “coach” for his daughter, who has earned $152,425 in prize money this year, and $387,441 in her career.

“My leg started to cramp just a little bit,” Vania said in a courtside interview immediately following her victory Sunday. “I couldn’t play long.” So, she decided, she would try to hit harder and keep the points short. The strategy worked.

“Have you heard her sing?” her interviewer asked the crowd, referring to King’s performance of the national anthem at last year’s U.S. Open. The New Haven crowd wasn’t going to hear her sing after Sunday’s match, though; she needed to have her leg attended to.

She did make time to sign autographs for a throng of young fans.

David and Mindy grabbed a bite and waited for Vania to finish getting a leg massage. Mindy, too, has played on her college team. She hasn’t shared her sister’s dream of playing pro. Instead, she’s pursuing an architecture career in her studies at Penn.

“The life’s kind of hard on the road,” Mindy said. Joining her sister on the road this summer, on the other hand, “is fun. I don’t get to see her much. We get to be close.”