SAN JOSE — Danylo Yavir was new to the United States, new to Silicon Valley culture, new to Branham High. He wasn’t new to tennis, though. When the Ukrainian teenager learned that his San Jose high school had a tennis team, he finally found something that reminded him of home as he adjusted to unfamiliar surroundings after finding refuge from his war-torn country.
Yavir sent an email to the coach, who told the kid to come to practice. One problem. It was girls tennis season and Yavir, unbeknown to Branham coach Rick Stanton, is a boy.
“I was quite surprised,” Stanton recalled with a laugh. That was the fall of 2022, shortly after Yavir arrived in the United States from his home country, which had been invaded by Russia months earlier. After straightening out his calendar, Yavir went out for the boys team that spring and has been its top player since then, helping Branham improve from 1-9 last season to 7-6 so far this year.
Through the Uniting for Ukraine program, which was launched by President Joe Biden weeks after the conflict began, Yavir left his hometown to live in San Jose with his aunt, Iryna Kulyasha, who served as his sponsor. Kulyasha, a nurse, has lived and worked in the South Bay for over a decade, having originally come to the United States as an exchange student in 2001. Her nephew’s transition to the United States hasn’t been easy, but tennis has helped.
The ball makes a startling pop every time Yavir, 18, unfurls his 6-foot-1 frame and unleashes h.
