Foreigners to Meet for Singles Title in City Tournament

Tennis players Paul Knizek of Grant High and Dragan Jovanovski of North Hollywood have come a long way to reach the City Section singles championship.

Jovanovski, a junior, emigrated from Yugoslavia in 1989 and Knizek, a senior, emigrated from Czechoslovakia in 1984. They will play for the City title today at 2 p.m. at The Racquet Centre in Studio City.

In Monday’s semifinals, Knizek upset Banning’s Robert Johnson, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Johnson was the top-seeded player. Jovanovski defeated Grant’s Marc Simon, the No. 2-seeded player, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

The result is an all-foreign final between the left-handed Jovanovski and the right-handed Knizek. Jovanovski came to the United States at the request of Jorgo Ognenovski, an assistant pro at Mulholland Tennis Club in Los Angeles.

“He was my student when he was 12,” Ognenovski said. “But in Yugoslavia, the conditions are terrible.”

In the doubles championship today, Derek Halpern and Andy Kimelman of Taft will meet Roel and Rene DeVera of Carson at 2 p.m. at The Racquet Centre. Halpern and Kimelman, who led Taft to a runner-up finish in the team finals Friday, beat Aaron Polk and Omar Yassin of Westchester, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, in Monday’s semifinals.