June 22, 2009
DUBLIN, Ireland – Former Irish men’s tennis player Barry King (Dublin, Ireland) reached the finals of a $15,000 ATP Futures tour event over the weekend, marking his best finish as a professional. King started from the main draw of 32 competitors and notched four consecutive wins for a place in the finals.
In the first round, King defeated qualifier Oliver Evans of Great Britain 6-2, 6-4. Then in the second round, King knocked off second-seeded and fellow Irishman James McGee 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. In the quarterfinals, King proved victorious over Bradley Cox of the USA 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. In the semifinals, King advanced past Ireland’s Louk Sorensen, 5-2 retired. But his run came to an end in the finals, as he fell to fifth-seeded Alexander Sadecky of Switzerland, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
King, a 24-year old right handed player, moved up nine places in the world rankings with the second-place showing. He now stands at 1032 in the world, marking his best career ranking. He also moved up eight places in the doubles rankings after winning his first round doubles match at the same event. He now stands at 1203 in the doubles rankings.
King graduated in 2007 after a stellar career with the Irish that included three all-BIG EAST honors as he helped Notre Dame to three BIG EAST titles in his four seasons. He finished with a 90-37 overall singles mark and a 59-40 overall doubles record. He reached as high as 20th in the ITA doubles rankings while with the Irish.
King, whose brother Graham is a rising senior with the Irish men’s tennis team, graduated from the Mendoza College of Business as a Finance major and worked in Dublin’s financial sector until the fall of 2008 when he chose to focus on professional tennis. The switch has led to some great results as a professional. With his recent second place finish, the Irish Tennis Federation has named King to their Davis Cup team that will take on Cyprus (and former Wimbledon semifinalist Marcos Baghdatis) next month.
Next week, King will compete in another main draw ATP Futures event (F2) in Ireland. Joining King in the field will be Irish sophomore Niall Fitzgerald (Wicklow, Ireland). Fitzgerald will appear in the field by virtue of winning two qualifying matches this past weekend.
Check back with UND.com to keep up with all information regarding the men’s tennis team, including King’s upcoming Davis Cup performance.
— ND —