Evan King: 'Enjoying the ride and trying not to screw it up'

This week in Paris, the newly minted top 20 men's doubles player is making the most of that chance, alongside the WTA’s No.2-ranked doubles player, Taylor Townsend. The pair reached the mixed-doubles final on Wednesday, defeating Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski, 3-6, 7-6(2), 10-8 to set a final clash on Thursday afternoon with Italy’s Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. 

King is also alive in the men’s doubles draw, and is set to contest the semi-finals on Friday, against Brits Joe Salisbury and Skupski. 

“Doubles is picking good partners, man. I have two good partners this week and I’m just enjoying the ride and trying not to screw it up,” King told Rolandgarros.com this week. 

It has been a circuitous journey for King, a Chicago-born talent who played college tennis at the University of Michigan. He spent over a decade outside of the top 100 of the ATP doubles rankings, but has started to creep up of late.

King broke into the top 100 in 2023, and in 2025 after locking into a full-time partnership with American Christian Harrison, he has made his way into the top 20.

“I have to give a shout-out to Christian,” King said earlier this week. “The guy is playing unbelievable tennis, I think we both complement each other quite well. We respect each other and trust each other."

King and Harrison are currently third in the ATP doubles race to Turin, after winning 24 matches and two titles so far in 2025. 

Those eye-catching results helped the American finally catch the eye of his longtime friend Townsend. 

He set his sights on partnering with his fellow Chicago native, and admitted that he hounded her until she finally said yes. 

“I asked her, she said maybe. Then I asked her again, she said maybe,” King said, as Townsend looked on and laughed. “Then I asked her again, and I think she was like, ‘Okay, you’ve been doing enough in doubles to deserve to play doubles with me.’” 

“Evan, please,” Townsend quipped. 

“She’s an unbelievable tennis player,” King added. “I feel like I have the best player on the court with me on my team. I said, ‘I’m gonna ask the best’ and I’m super glad that she said yes.”

Townsend has known King for years. She’s happy to be the one that helped King get his first ever win at a mixed doubles Slam this week. 

“I’ve known him for a very long time, I know he’s a great guy, and honestly it’s made me so happy to see the success he’s having later in his career,” she said. “It’s been phenomenal to watch. With doubles it’s all about finding the person you really gel with.

"Being able to watch Evan and Christian play together, there’s just a flow. They have been playing a lot of matches and they are in it.” 

Townsend and King have a flow as well. 

They didn’t drop a set until the semi-finals, and when that happened today, they were quick to rise to the challenge to take out last year’s runner-ups in a hard-fought match tiebreak. 

Townsend credits chemistry for their success. 

“For me, I’ve always said it, I always choose the people that I feel like I can have a good time on court with,” Townsend said. “I obviously want someone that can complement my game, but more important for me is to have fun and to be able to be myself and feel free.” 

And for King, he’s tapped into something that was well worth the wait. 

“Super excited,” he said. “I’ve put a lot of time into the sport in general, whether it was as a pro or a junior or in college. I’m enjoying it.

“I wouldn’t still be playing if I didn’t believe that I could achieve some of these goals I have set for myself. I’m happy to get a little bit of validation of the things I thought were possible.”