The Stanford men’s tennis team completed a strong weekend of play on Sunday at the Chandler Cup, highlighted by senior Phil Kao’s return to the court after a year hiatus. Kao made his season debut with a victory over Bryan Pybas of UC-Santa Cruz, 6-4, 7-6. The match was Kao’s first in over a year due to injury, and the senior made the most of his return to the court.

“It felt great to be competing again,” said Kao. “I definitely was a little nervous playing my first match, but getting the first win helped me build some much needed confidence.”

Kao did not advance further in the bracket, however, losing in three sets to Bijan Moiallemi of UC-San Diego, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. The three-set match pushed Kao to the limit, but he did not feel overmatched.

“Although I lost my match in three sets, I did not feel tired during or after the match,” he said. “I am definitely back in shape to compete.”

“It was nice to see Phil back on the court,” said head coach John Whitlinger. “I was happy with what he did out there — he hit the ball well and moved well. I was encouraged by what I saw.”

Freshman Greg Hirshman lost his opening round match but put a string of wins together to reach the semifinals of the consolation bracket. Hirshman’s run ended there when he lost to Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan of Washington, 6-3, 6-1.

“Greg did a good job in the consolation matches he played,” said Whitlinger. He beat a very good player from Boise State along the way. For him it’s just about getting better and stronger. He’s a fighter.”

Sophomore Kevin Kaiser also advanced to the second round, earning a straight sets victory over David Gonzalez of University of the Pacific in the first. He later fell to Kiryl Harbatsiuk of Sacramento State, 6-2, 6-4, in the second round.

Hirshman and Kaiser also teamed up for doubles and had an impressive opening round victory. They beat Jacek Twarowski and Stefan Nikolic of Loyola Marymount 8-0. However, the duo ran into the second-seeded team of Nedunchezhiyan and Andy Koharsky from Washington in the second round and lost, 8-6.

It still was a good tournament for the players, who played well while also gaining valuable experience.

“Every match they play is another way I get to see what [the players] need to work on, and what [the players] see they need to work on.” Whitlinger said.

Kao is encouraged about his performance and wants to use this as a springboard to the rest of the season.

“The results have given me a good idea of where I am in competition play,” he said. “My game still needs some work, but by the time the season starts I will be ready.”

The Cardinal men are back in action this Thursday when they travel to the National Indoor Championships in Columbus, Ohio. It will be the last fall preseason tournament before the regular season starts in January.