A LONG WAY FROM HOME; UKRAINE'S KARIMOV IS `WORLD CLASS' FOR CAL LU.

Byline: Rizza Yap Daily News Staff Writer

Jenia Karimov was 7 when he passed by the community tennis courts in his hometown of Kyyiv, Ukraine, and decided he liked the sport.

Immediately, he began taking lessons - offered for free at the time - and competed in junior tournaments once he turned 9. By the time he left for the United States in 1992, Karimov had a successful run in the juniors, topping out his last two years at Ukraine by reaching the finals of the national championship for the boys' 18 division.

Five years have passed since then, and the Cal Lutheran junior recently won the Division III national championship in doubles with partner Mark Ellis. The duo also won the Division III doubles title in this year's Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament, where Karimov took second place behind Ellis for the singles title.

``Jenia is a dominating singles player as well as Mark,'' said Cal Lutheran coach Mike Gennette. ``When you've got them in the same side of the net, there's just so much talent coming at you.''

After immigrating to the United States, Karimov actually took a year off from competition to adjust to his new home. To escape the political turmoil in his native country, Karimov, his younger brother and mother followed some relatives to West Hollywood in July of 1992 - nearly two years after initially planning the move.

Karimov said his last few months in Ukraine were a sluggish period in tennis, even though he took second place in the nationals just two weeks before leaving.

``I felt low,'' he said. ``There were too many things to do, too many priorities, and having to deal with the thought of moving. It's pretty hard starting your life (over) when you're 18.''

Speaking only a little English, Karimov enrolled in a language institute for a semester before taking English as a second language classes at L.A. Valley College in the spring of 1993. A semester later, he also registered at Pierce, where he began to pursue tennis again.

He started playing the No. 6 through 8 spots during practice season. Then he surprised his team by winning the Southern California Junior College Rolex Championships. By the time the regular season started the following spring, Karimov headed the lineup. For the next two years, he was ranked in the top 10 of all California junior college players.

Gennette first spotted Karimov at Pierce, and when the coach heard that Karimov was interested in Cal Lutheran, he helped the junior transfer this spring. Karimov started at the No. 2 spot for the Kingsmen, behind last year's national champion Ellis.

``I thought he was capable of playing at a Division I school,'' Gennette said. ``His baseline game is world class. His passing shots are as good as the top 50 in the world.

``His serve and net game - they have room for improvement.''

As Karimov's serve got better, so did the chemistry between he and Ellis. Ellis was originally teamed up with Bryan Holloway - the two were ranked No. 1 in the preseason - until Holloway suffered a pulled chest muscle.

``When Mark and Jenia were put together, they were winning, but it wasn't pretty,'' Gennette said. ``They were ending up on the wrong side of the court sometimes, they just didn't click at first. By the end of the year, they had a good idea of how to complement each other.''

In the fall, Karimov will return to play tennis at Cal Lutheran, potentially as the lineup leader. After school, he plans to become a professional, a dream he has had since age 10. Coaching is also a possibility in the future, as he has been working as a private tennis instructor for four years.

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Photo: Cal Lu's Jenia Karimov, who moved here from Kyyiv, Ukraine, in 1992, won the national title with doubles partner Mark Ellis.

Terri Thuente / Daily News