By McCarton Ackerman, USTA.com
Vania King reached her first WTA singles final in three years Saturday at the WTA tournament in Nanchang, China, cementing her comeback from a potentially career-threatening back injury.
King, the No. 6 seed in the tournament, recorded a dominant semifinal win over No. 7 seed Riza Ozaki, 6-2, 6-2. The American didn’t drop serve once while also converting on five break-point opportunities throughout the match. The 27-year-old has been in dominant form throughout the week, dropping an average of five games per match on her way to the final.
Awaiting King in the championship match is local favorite Ying-Ying Duan. A win on Sunday would give King her first WTA singles title in 10 years, with the last one coming in Bangkok in 2006. She also won the Wimbledon and US Open women's doubles titles in 2010.
King returned to the tour last August after missing a full year due to a herniated disc in her back. Currently ranked No. 106 in the WTA rankings, she is guaranteed to move back into the Top 100 when the newest rankings are released Monday.