James Krznaric made history when, as a junior last spring, he earned the first individual section championship in Elizabeth Forward tennis history.
Now he's prepared to rewrite the Warriors' record books once again.
After earning his second consecutive Section 5-AA championship last week, Krznaric will take part in the WPIAL Class AA individual championship tournament today at Keystone Oaks High School.
With a victory over Greensburg Salem's Parker Jorgensen in the first round at 1 p.m., Krznaric would be the first tennis player in school history to win a match at the WPIAL championships.
“It's interesting to do something no one's ever done at EF,” Krznaric said. “It kind of makes me smile a little bit, to see if I can accomplish what no one else has ever done.”
The smile that the EF senior currently maintains has come through some hard work and cost to the family home.
Krznaric began playing tennis at the age of 11 after watching his father, Mike, play in amateur tournaments for years.
“I've been an avid tennis player for years,” Mike Krznaric, who coaches his son at EF, said. “I've played in a lot of the Renzie Park tournaments and McKeesport tournaments they used to have. You usually can find me out at the Renzie Park courts on the weekends.”
Finally, one day James showed some interest in taking up tennis for himself.
His father was happy to oblige, but under one condition.
“He never really showed any interest in sports,” Mike Krznaric recalled. “I said to him one day, ‘Well look, if you really want to try this game, here's a racquet, here's a tennis ball. If you can hit the ball off the wall down here 50 times in a row, I'll take you to a tennis court.'”
From those humble beginnings in the Krznaric basement, James' passion was born.
“I've got dents all over my appliances down there,” Mike Krznaric said. “The paint's actually peeled off the wall from where he struck so many tennis balls. So, I took him out and got him started myself.”
Now, seven years later, James is the eighth-ranked player in the 18-year-old division of the U.S. Tennis Association's Allegheny Mountain Region.
After winning his first Section 5-AAA championship with a (6-0, 7-6) victory over Thomas Jefferson's Drew Gallatin in the title match last season, Krznaric went on to the WPIAL Individual championships where he dropped a 10-7 decision to Hunter Pellegrini of Vincentian Academy in the first round.
“He's got a real nice forehand,” Mike Krznaric said of his son. “It's consistent. It bites the court with a lot of kick on it. His volleying at the net is a strong point.”
Although he fell short of his ultimate goal of earning a WPIAL title, just playing in the tournament a year ago provided a valuable learning experience to go along with his steadily improving game.
“I learned to not let the conditions bother me so much, to focus more on what I can control versus what I can't,” James Krznaric said. “Last year, I couldn't control the weather.”
That valuable experience served Krznaric well in the Section 5-AAA tournament last week.
With victories over West Allegheny's Brennen Martonik and Chris Habazin and TJ's Jake Mascaro, he advanced to face Bishop Canevin's Tony Costantino in the championship match.
Krznaric would defeat Costantino 6-2 in the first set, but the second would not be won as easily. After falling behind 4-2, Krznaric rallied to win the deciding second set 7-5.
Considering he is the only member of the EF tennis team, advancing to the WPIAL championships for a second straight season was a proud moment for Krznaric.
“It feels good,” he said. “Some of the kids know about it. Tennis isn't really that big at Elizabeth Forward.”
But James is hoping that soon will change. If he can get past Jorgensen in the first round today, Krznaric will face the winner of the match between Hampton's Brad Ciskek and Bentworth's Matt Lynch in the second round.
The top three finishers in the WPIAL championship tournament qualify for the PIAA Class AA Individual Championships later this month.
“I'm really excited,” James Krznaric said. “I love playing this game. I feel ready to go.”
