Samantha Parker came onto the scene in a big way at the PPA Houston Open two weeks ago, winning a silver medal in women’s singles. I hadn’t heard much of Parker’s name prior to Houston, so I wanted to sit down and get to know her better.
Growing up and playing tennis with her father
Sam grew up in Grapevine, Texas, a northern suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Wong (maiden name) started playing tennis at the age of four or five under the tutelage of her father, Bill. In addition, Sam grew up studying the Filipino martial art of Arnis and has continued practicing that throughout her life, earning herself a black belt.
Sam played tennis mostly in Texas throughout juniors and high school. She played with and against Anna Bright when Bright lived in the DFW area before Anna moved to Florida.
One highlight of her high school career was a win in 2016 (senior year) over Taylor Gray (then ranked No. 165 in the country in college recruiting). Playing for Grapevine High School, Sam won back-to-back state championships in 5A.
Parker moved up the recruiting rankings throughout her entire high school career, going from 424th in the country to 174th…
