Prior to arriving in Hong Kong, King peaked at a career-high ATP No. 269 in singles in 1977 and competed in singles qualifying and maindraw doubles at the US Open at Forest Hills that year. He was a four-time US Chinese National champion and played for the University of Southern California from 1968-1969 despite offers from Columbia and Stanford. King, who was twice Oregon Boy’s State Singles Champion in 1966 and 1968, won the Pacific Northwest Under-18 Sectionals in 1967 and finished that year ranked No. 1.
In 1978, King beat No. 1 seed and reigning South East Asian Games champion Atet Wijono of Indonesia in the final 7-6(5) 6-2 to capture the Hong Kong Invitational Hardcourt Championships. From 1980-1986, he won 15 majors (6 singles and 9 doubles) over a six-year span. From 1980-82, he captured three straight CRC Open men’s singles titles and, at the time, only Ip Koon Hung (1957-60 & 1962-64) and Tau Luu (1970-77) had won three or more at the club. Moreover, King managed to capture 2 out of the 3 local majors each year in 1980, 1981 and 1985. He also teamed up with Tau Luu to win the men’s doubles at all three local majors – Hong Kong Closed Hardcourt Championships (now Hong Kong National Tennis Championships), SCAA Open, and CRC Open – in 1985. At the Hong Kong Closed Hardcourt Championships, King won six consecutive men’s doubles titles from 1980-1985.
From 1984-86, King represented Hong Kong in five Davis Cup ties. In 1984, he teamed up with Kelvin Inge to win the crucial doubles against Chinese Taipei in what turned out to be Hong Kong’s maiden Davis Cup tie victory. In the ensuing quarterfinals, King played No. 1 singles and doubles with Kelvin Inge against Thailand. He then won crucial doubles rubbers that contributed to eventual victories for Hong Kong, joining forces again with Kelvin Inge against Singapore in 1985 and together with Mark Bailey in a five-set win against Malaysia in 1986.
King also served as an HKTA Councillor from 1985-87 and is a member of the International Lawn Tennis Club (IC) of Hong Kong. He was the official Welcoming Dinner’s Master of Ceremonies when IC of Hong Kong hosted the Asia/Oceania IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge for the first time in 2019.
Local Majors
Men’s Singles
CRC Open
1980 1981 1982 1985
SCAA Open
1980 1985
Hong Kong National Tennis Championships
1981
Men’s Doubles
CRC Open
1985
SCAA Open
1983 1985 1990
Hong Kong National Tennis Championships
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985