Aussie star announces engagement to Olympic medallist
Tennis star Daria Kasatkina has capped off her first grand slam as an Australian by getting engaged to her partner Natalia Zabiiako, a Winter Olympic medallist.
Kasatkina switched allegiances from Russia earlier this year, having previously said it was 'unsafe' for her to return home because of her sexuality and opposition to the war with Ukraine.
'For me, being openly gay, if I want to be myself, I have to make this step, and I did it,' the 28-year-old said in April ahead of her first match with an Aussie flag next to her name.
How life has changed in the space of three months.
Kasatkina appeared to be the one to pop the question, with a picture shared by the couple showing her off a diamond ring on Zabiiako's finger.
'And just like that,' they wrote.
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Congratulations rolled in from around the tennis world.
Arina Rodionova, a fellow Russian-born Australian tennis player, joked: 'I will be at the wedding regardless if you want it or not.'
Alex de Minaur's partner Katie Boulter said: 'Ahh congrats.'
Priscilla Hon: 'Awww congrats you two.'
Rio 2016 Olympics gold medallist Monica Puig said: 'Congratulations!!!!!!!!'
One-time Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady wrote: 'Congrats Dasha and Natalia!!!'
Former figure skater Zabiiako, 30, competed for her birth nation Estonia before switching to Russia for the most successful period of her career.
Her crowning achievement — a silver medal in the pairs figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics — came under the Olympic flag in the wake of the Russian doping scandal.
She now supports Kasatkina on the tennis tour and the pair document their experiences on a popular YouTube channel.
Freshly minted Australian Kasatkina is fresh off a run to the fourth round at the French Open.
'I felt super good to step on the court as an Australian player,' she said.
'To feel the support from the stands so many times. I don't know if everyone who was screaming, 'Aussie', were from Australia, but I felt this support.
'Also, on social media I'm getting a lot of support from the Australians that they are so happy to welcome me, and they're happy for me.
'So this is the kind of support which I honestly didn't have before, it feels like it's something new to me — but it feels so nice.' Daria Kasatkina on her way to reaching the last 16 in Paris in her first grand slam for Australia. Credit: AAP
Kasatkina also reached the fourth round at the Australian Open in January before the secret process to become an Aussie unfolded.
The busy tennis season has kept the world No.17 from flying back to Melbourne to begin setting up her life here.
But plans have been hatched with the help of Australian tennis veteran Daria Saville, who became friends with Kasatkina when they were both juniors in Russia.
Saville, formerly Gavrilova, moved to Melbourne as a teenager and married Australian tennis player Luke Saville in 2018.
'We've been friends for very, very long time and to have someone like that as a neighbour, as a teammate, it feels great, honestly,' Kasatkina said during the French Open.
'First of all, she's super happy for me, which was super nice. She's always asking 'when you moving?', sending me the locations, the houses and everything.
'So she's very excited to have a new neighbour, and I'm also very happy about that.'
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