Southampton's Jamie King won the Most Improved Player of the Year award after impressing at the National Deaf Tennis Championships in Gloucester.

The 16-year-old, from Locks Heath, won the B Division Singles at the National Championships in both 2004 and 2005.

This year he stepped up to the Men's Open Division, competing against some of Britain's top players, some of whom have won medals at European Championships and the Deaflympics, the Oympics of deaf sport.

Drawn against fellow Southampton player Jamie Chivers, from West End in the first round of this year's National Championships, King won 6-2, 6-2 to progress to a quarter-final against top seed and twice national champion Anthony Sinclair, from Northern Ireland.

In 2005 Sinclair became Britain's first Deaflympic Men's Singles silver medallist for 40 years, but King was not overawed and led 3-0 in the second set.

Despite losing 6-2, 6-3, King's progress was obvious and a day later he was named Most Improved Player of the Year for 2005 at the association's awards.

King has also been invited to join the National Deaf Tennis Squad training squad.

King receives his Most Improved award from Bryan Whalley of the British Deaf Tennis Association Committee.