Darian King, a product of the ITF’s Junior Tennis Initiative programme held in Barbados has finished the year with a career high ranking of #482 in singles and #532 in doubles after only two years competing on the Men’s Pro Circuit.

Having reached a high of #47 in the ITF Junior rankings in early 2010 and playing three of the four Junior Grand Slam events during that year, King moved up to the senior ranks in late 2010. He then went on to win his first two Futures doubles titles with partner and fellow Barbadian Haydn Lewis in early 2011.

King now aged 20, completed his 2012 tournament schedule in fine style by winning the Men’s F14 Futures Doubles Championship with Australian partner Yuri Bezeruk in Merida, Mexico in mid November. He won his first two Futures singles titles in Manzanillo, Mexico, in September. The F14 doubles win was Darian's fourth for 2012, therefore taking his total number of Pro Circuit titles to an impressive eight.

Prior to heading to Mexico, he competed in the qualifying rounds of the higher graded ATP Challengers in Charlottesville and Knoxville, USA where he had some good wins over players ranked in the top 300s.
Playing under lights in Merida, King and Bezeruk had a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 straight-sets victory over Mexican Mauricio Astorga and Marvin Barker of New Zealand.

King just missed out on playing in another final, bowing out in the semis to Frenchman and eventual singles champion Lucas Pouille 0-6, 4-6. Having broken into the world’s top 500 ranked players Darian is aiming higher for 2013, and plans to play further higher graded Challengers and other ATP events which offer more ranking points per win. In addition, Darian’s goal is to make it into the top 250 and hopefully play the [qualifiers] of a Grand Slam event in 2013.

The Barbados Tennis Association would like to thank the ITF’s Grand Slam Development Fund (GSDF) for their assistance towards Darian’s travel expenses during his time on the Pro Circuit.