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She woke up to 'We’re at war' in Ukraine. Now Mariia Vainshtein is a New York City tennis champion
After fleeing war-torn Ukraine, Mariia Vainshtein mastered English and tennis to lead James Madison High School to its first PSAL championship since 1978, winning multiple titles.
- On Jan. 31, 2026, Mariia Vainshtein, 17-year-old student-athlete, won the Mayor Dinkins Cup and practiced at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis and Learning.
- Fleeing Odesa after the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion, her family rushed to a bomb shelter, then fled to Moldova before relocating to New York, where her father Oleksandr remained behind.
- She joined a free scholar-athlete program that mixes tennis instruction with life skills, and her weekend commute from Brooklyn to the Bronx helps her improve, coach Rob Cizek said.
- The school's team is headed to nationals this spring, and Vainshtein has applied to colleges while considering her next titles, despite her recent city-level win.
- Her family's ties to Odesa help Mariia Vainshtein, a NYC high school tennis champion, maintain connections with her hometown and family members still there, including her father Oleksandr, who stayed in Odesa.
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26 Articles
26 Articles
Associated Press News+22 Reposted by 22 other sources
She woke up to 'We’re at war' in Ukraine. Now Mariia Vainshtein is a New York City tennis champion
Mariia Vainshtein's family fled Ukraine shortly after Russia launched its invasion four years ago. They moved to New York, where they had family.
·United States
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Mariia Vainshtein never heard the noise and slept running on that horrible night of four years ago.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources26
Leaning Left7Leaning Right1Center17Last UpdatedBias Distribution68% Center
Bias Distribution
- 68% of the sources are Center
68% Center
L 28%
C 68%
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