Meet Evan King, the Chicago native and University of Michigan alum making waves with Taylor Townsend at French Open

Evan King has been one of the breakout stars on the ATP Tour this year. Together with compatriot Christian Harrison, they've established themselves as one of the most dominant teams on the doubles circuit this season. The duo are currently through to their maiden Major semifinal at the French Open 2025.

There's another reason for King to celebrate, who's also participating in mixed doubles at the clay court Major with fellow American Taylor Townsend. The duo have made the last four and will fight for a spot in the championship round on Wednesday, June 4.

With so much success in a short span of time, the public's interest in King is certainly piqued. However, the road to glory has been rather long for the 33-year-old, who has toiled hard for his moment in the sun. Born in Chicago, Illinois, in March 1992, he displayed an interest in tennis at just three years of age.

King played tennis throughout his high school years and after taking part in the Illinois State Championships for Tennis, he made the decision to go to Florida to train at the USTA Training Academy. He continued to train there and emerged as the top prospect of the 2009 batch. He also took part in junior Grand Slam events during this period.

Next up for King was playing college tennis. While there were plenty of powerhouses in Illinois itself, he chose to go to the University of Michigan. He graduated in 2013 as a legend, holding the record for most combined singles and doubles wins until it was surpassed in 2023.

King also made his debut on the ATP Tour during this time. He received a wildcard into the Delray Beach Open 2009 but fell at the first hurdle. He wouldn't make the main draw in singles until 2017, registering his maiden win at the Los Cabos Open. He also qualified for the US Open that year but lost to Pablo Carreno Busta in the first round.

A first-round exit from the Indian Wells Masters 2018 would be King's final appearance on the ATP Tour. His singles career continued to thrive on the Challenger and ITF Tours, though his results started to mellow out after 2019. He turned his attention solely to doubles since 2022 and that decision has paid off.

---

Evan King is on the verge of reaching two finals at the French Open 2025

Evan King at the Dallas Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Evan King spent most of his time on the Challenger circuit until last year. Towards the end of the 2024 season, he teamed up with Christian Harrison for the first time after their regular partners were unavailable. The duo advanced to the final of their first tournament together and won their first title as a pair the following week.

Despite their success towards the end of 2024, King and Harrison didn't team up at the start of 2025. They contested the Australian swing with different partners with little luck. The Open Occitane in February marked their first tournament on the ATP Tour as a pair and they crashed out in the first round.

They bounced back by winning the Dallas Open, their first title at the ATP level. They continued their good run of form with successive finals, losing the Delray Beach Open final but winning the Mexican Open. They then made the semifinals and the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami.

King and Harrison's clay swing started off slow but they got their act together soon enough. A semifinal in Madrid was followed by a quarterfinal finish in Rome. They have now reached the biggest semifinal of their careers at the French Open. They've also cracked the top 20 of the ATP rankings.

As for King, he has a chance to reach the finals in men's doubles and mixed doubles. Townsend is an excellent player in doubles and they are the top picks to win the title. King's rise has been remarkable to witness and is a true testament to the virtue of perseverance.