Australia fell in love with Daria ‘Dasha’ Gavrilova during this year’s Australian Open, and we’re proud to call her a Bluebagger!

Russian-born Dasha, who only became an Australian citizen in November, was converted into a Carlton supporter by her boyfriend, fellow tennis player and Blues man, Luke Saville.

On Australia Day, Carlton CEO Steven Trigg had great delight handing Luke two Blues guernseys and a team signed football – and it didn’t take the pair long to put them on.

The 21-year-old tennis pro achieved a personal best in this year’s tournament, knocking out sixth-seed Petra Kvitova and advancing to the final 16, and although she fell just short to Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro, her grit and determination remain trademarks of her game. 

We’ll be sure to follow her career with a close eye.

Good luck for your next tournament, Dasha! 

A big thanks to the @carlton_fc for the signed footy and the personalized jerseys! @daria_gav

A photo posted by Luke Saville (@lukesaville18) on Jan 26, 2016 at 3:10am PST