Player Bio: Phil Kao

  Phil Kao
Phil Kao
Player Profile
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Cupertino, CA
High School:
Archbishop Mitty HS
Height / Weight:
5-8 / 145
Experience:
2V
Major:
Economics

Fall of 2007: Has gone 1-1 in his return to action after missing last year due to injury ... Made the second round of the Chandler Cup by beating Bryan Pybas of UC Santa Cruz before falling to #23 Bijan Moiallemi of UC San Diego in three sets.

Summer of 2007: Spent the summer rehabbing injuries and did not enter any tournaments.

As a Junior in 2006-07: Injuries forced him to miss all but one match ... In his only match Kao lost in three sets Derek Drabble of Washington in the first round of the ITA Northwest Regional.

Summer of 2006: Did not compete during the summer.

As a Sophomore in 2005-06: Starter in 19 of Stanford's 22 dual matches ... Played No. 5 or No. 6 singles in 21 of those 22 matches ... He went 12-7 in dual matches and 20-11 overall ... Finished 1-0 playing No. 4, 5-4 at No. 5 and 6-3 at No. 6 ... Went 6-5 in doubles playing with five different partners ... Was 4-1 in doubles while teamed with Jeff Zeller ... Reached the semifinals at the Pac-10 Invitational before losing a three-set match to UCLA's Jeremy Drean ... Chalked up a 6-1 singles record in the fall, which included four straight wins at the Bronco Classic ... He defeated teammate Blake Muller 6-4, 6-3 to win the singles title at the Bronco Classic ... He competed at the Northwest Regional Championships where he won two matches and advanced to the round of 32 ... Teamed with Jeff Zeller in doubles at the Bronco Classic ... After losing their opening match, the duo came back to win four straight in the consolation bracket ... Teamed with Eric McKean at the Northwest Regional and lost in the round of 32.

Summer of 2005: Finalist at the Captain Weber Open in Stockton, CA, and a quarterfinalist at the Steed Open in Moraga, CA.

As a Freshman in 2004-05: Enjoyed a solid freshman campaign, getting valuable experience at the No. 5 and No. 6 spots in the Cardinal lineup ... He posted a 19-20 overall record, and an 11-14 mark in dual matches ... Posted a 7-7 record at the No. 5 position ... Advanced to the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Invitational tournament, defeating Arizona's Tim Mullane (4/21) and Oregon's Eric Pickard (4/21) ... Notched a straight set 7-6, 7-5 win over USC's Adam Loucks (4/10) ... Was edged in three sets by USC's Kaes Van't Hof (2/19), but came back seven days later to hand Van't Hof a straight set 6-1, 6-4 defeat (2/26) ... Advanced to the consolation final at the Sherwood Cup in January, falling to teammate James Wan in the championship 6-1, 6-0 (1/17) ... Advanced to the third round of the Wilson/ITA Regional Championship in October ... In doubles, he was a constant presence in Stanford's doubles lineup, partnering with five other players to post a 4-12 record ... Saw the most doubles action with senior Phil Sheng, posting an 8-3 win over Sean Kelleher and Stephen Ward of William & Mary (3/2) at the No. 2 singles position.

Summer of 2004: Claimed his second straight singles title at the Northern California under-18 sectionals.

Prior to Stanford: Won the singles title at the 2003 Northern California under-18 sectionals ... Claimed the Central Coast Section singles title ... Won the Northern California under-16 sectionals in '02... Won the title at the Central Coast Section singles championship in '02 ... Received the Sportsmanship Award at the 2000 Easter Bowl.

Personal: Son of Wei-Nan and Grace Kao ... Graduate of Archbishop Mitty High School ... Hobbies include basketball, motorcycles, and playing poker ... Economics major.

John Whitlinger & Brandon Coupe Say: "It's nice to see Phil back on the court playing. He has struggled with injuries his whole career here, but as long as we can keep him on the court he will be a factor."