Former Gustavus tennis standout Eric Butorac, who won the NCAA Division III Singles and Doubles titles in 2003 will take part in his first Grand Slam Tournament on Thursday when he opens play in the doubles tournament at the Australian Open. Butorac, who is currently rated #70 in the world in doubles will play with partner Travis Parrott, who is ranked #61.
Butorac and Parrot will play Yves Allegro (Switzerland) and Robert Lindstedt (Sweden) on Thursday (which is still Wednesday in the United States). Allegro is ranked #39, while Lindstedt is #41.
Butorac has had significant success professionally over the past year. He teamed with Jamie Murray to finish second at the Los Angeles Open last summer and the duo lost in the finals to Bob and Mike Bryan the top ranked doubles team in the world. Butorac also teamed with current partner Travis Parrott to win the Vancouver Open in August. He also won two tournaments with Chris Drake including the Luxembourg Pro Challenger and the ATP Challenger in Bogota, Columbia.
Butorac started 2006 ranked #184 and finished the year at #65.
You can follow Butorac’s progress in the Australian Open through the tournament website.