DARIAN KING was defeated but not disgraced.
Barbados’ debut in Olympic tennis was cut short yesterday after the Bajan ace lost his first round singles match against 12th seeded Steve Johnson at the Olympic Tennis Centre in Rio.
Facing a certain uphill task against the American world No. 22, King fought valiantly before eventually going down 6-3, 6-2 on court three in a virtual replay of his first pro final five years ago.
It was always going to be a difficult draw, with the 24-year-old King, ranked 164, entering as a wild card and being forced to play a highly-rated opponent coming off a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon.
Yet King stood firm early on, trading initial holds for 2-2 to start the opening set. (JM)
Please read the full story in today’s Sunday Sun, or in the eNATION edition.