The No. 9 Stanford men’s tennis team had a successful weekend at the National Team Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va., as the Cardinal went 2-1 against some of the toughest competition in the country. Helping the Cardinal’s cause was the highly anticipated return of senior All-American Bradley Klahn, who played singles for the first time in the dual-match season.
Stanford’s first-round match in the 16-team tournament was against No. 7 Baylor. The Bears have long been a thorn in the side of head coach John Whitlinger’s Stanford teams, having defeated the Cardinal in 12 straight matches before Friday’s contest. Early on, it looked like this one might have gone the same way, as the Bears eked out a close victory in the doubles matches and took a 1-0 lead.
Playing out of the three spot as he continued his progression back to full health, Klahn quickly evened the match at one by dispatching his opponent in straight sets. Another point for the Bears put Stanford on the brink of defeat, but the team’s two freshmen, John Morrissey and Robert Stineman, bailed out their more experienced teammates and soon put Stanford in the lead at 3-2 and in position to clinch the match. Senior Ryan Thatcher, playing out of the No. 1 position, was soon able to deliver, sending Stanford on to the quarterfinals against the home team, second-seeded UVA.
Virginia is the team that eliminated Stanford from last year’s NCAA tournament, a loss made all the more bitter because the tournament was held at Stanford’s Taube Family Tennis Center. Stanford ultimately lost a competitive matchup 4-1, but each and every match was tight, and the Cardinal, playing in an extremely hostile environment, more than proved itself.
“It was a great atmosphere out there for the Virginia match,” Whitlinger said. “I’m really glad the guys got to experience that because we’re going to be going on the road for the NCAAs and this weekend provided some great experience that we will be able to use to our advantage in May.”
Sunday’s consolation match pitted Stanford against No. 6 Kentucky, another challenging foe for Whitlinger’s squad. After winning the doubles point to start the match, Stanford relied, once again, on the power of its freshmen duo. The pair won their matches by identical 6-4, 6-4 scores and provided the clinching point for the 4-1 victory that sent the Cardinal back home to California on a high note.
“I can’t say enough about what they’ve done already this year,” Whitlinger said of his prized recruits. “They’re both incredible fighters. Neither of them will ever give up an inch without a fight. They both always keep us in matches and that is huge for us. They’ve been incredible.”
This weekend’s performance, coupled with the return of Klahn, should help the Stanford men’s tennis team turn the page from early-season losses and refocus the squad on what is sure to be an exciting couple months of tennis.
Stanford will look to continue building positive momentum this Friday afternoon at home against Cal, as the rivals get together for their biannual meeting.