On court

• Introduced to tennis by her parents at age six
• Realised at age 12 she was good enough to become a professional
• Favourite surface is hard court, favourite shot is forehand, favourite tennis tournament is Australian Open
• Tennis idols are Venus and Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis; feels her game contains elements of Clijsters and Simona Halep
• Is a former ITF world No.1 junior
• Career highlights to date include winning the US Open juniors in 2010 and representing Australia in the Fed Cup
• Says Serena Williams is the toughest opponent she’s ever faced
• Dream tennis scenario was to beat Maria Sharapova at Rod Laver Arena
• Professional goal is to win a Grand Slam
• In a breakout year in 2015, ascended 197 spots to world No.36; highlights included stunning world No.2 Sharapova en route to the last 16 in Miami, and advancing to the Rome semifinals.
• Made the final 16 at the Australian Open in 2016 and 2017
• Won first WTA singles title in New Haven in 2017
• Sidelined for 12 months from September 2019 with plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis
• Enjoyed a resurgent season in 2022, rising from outside top 600 to crack the top 60; highlights included a fourth-round finish at Indian Wells, quarterfinal in Miami, and her first WTA final in five years (in Granby)
• Underwent knee surgery in October 2022 and returned to the tour in June 2023
• In April 2024, reclaimed Australian No.1 position in singles for the first time in nearly seven years

Off court

• Family includes father Alexey, mother Natalia and younger brother Stepan
• Enjoys eating sushi and cheese and reading the Twilight series
• Graduated from high school in 2010
• Married Australian professional player Luke Saville in December 2021
• Has a sausage dog named “Tofu”
• Nickname is “Dasha”
• Best piece of advice is to treat everyone the same way you want to be treated
• Perfect day would involve sleeping in, going out for breakfast, going for a swim, and having her family and friends around her
• Would have loved to be an actress if not a tennis player.

Year-end ranking history

Titles/Finals

Titles

2017 Connecticut WTA

2015 Burnie ITF, Launceston ITF

2014 Bangkok ITF

2011 Antalya ITF

Finals

2022 Granby WTA

2017 Strasbourg WTA, Hong Kong WTA

2016 Kremlin Cup WTA

2012 Moscow 4 ITF

2011 Moscow ITF