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Thibaud Berland admittedly wasn’t versed in the half-century history of the Dillingham Tennis Championships when he entered the event.
Which is understandable considering the tournament hosted by Punahou was last played in 2002 in a 50th anniversary sendoff.
“My coach told me it used to be one to the best tournaments in the country,” said Berland, a Hawaii Pacific University senior.
A highlight of the local tennis calendar from 1952 to 2002, the Dillingham was revived this year as part of Punahou’s 175th anniversary celebration, and Berland added his name to the list of champions with a 6-1, 6-4 win over former BYU-Hawaii standout Rong Ma on Monday at Punahou’s Dillingham Tennis Complex.
Former HPU All-American Mikael Maatta claimed the singles title in the previous Dillingham in 2002 and Berland, this year’s top seed, retained the crown for the Sharks by sweeping through the main draw without dropping a set.
“I haven’t played much over the summer and came back a little bit out of shape one month ago and I’m feeling way better,” Berland said. “I played really good (in the) semis and finals, better than expected.”
Berland earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-America honors in singles and doubles the past two years and helped lead the Sharks to the NCAA Division II final this spring.
He might have surprised himself a bit on Monday in losing just two points in the first four games while breezing through the first set against Ma.
“The beginning was insane,” Berland said. “I think I made like two mistakes, that’s it.”
His backhand was particularly on point, whether hammering cross-court or passing Ma down the line.
“Unbelievable today,” Berland said. “That’s my best shot, but today was even better.”
Ma, the tournament’s seventh seed, regrouped between sets and went up a break at 3-2 when he forced Berland into consecutive errors.
“I tried to come in more, tried to take some chances,” said Ma, who stayed in Hawaii after completing his BYUH career and is closing in on a graduate degree in kinesiology at the University of Hawaii.
Trailing 4-3, Berland got back on serve by winning a lengthy rally after Ma fought off three break points. Berland went up 5-4 and broke Ma’s serve again, ending the match with one more blistering backhand.
“He got stronger, his backhand got a little more solid, and he made me miss a little bit more,” Berland said. “But I know that I’m strong when it gets tough.”
The tournament doubled as the USTA Hawaii Pacific Section Open Championship and Berland’s win gave him a wild card into the main draw of the Tennis Championships of Maui (formerly the Royal Lahaina Challenger) in January. By reaching the final, Ma earned a wild card into the qualifying draw.
“It’s always fun to play the challenger,” Berland said. “It’s only professional players, so it’s always a good experience.”
Ma got a measure of payback by teaming up with Wei Yu Su to capture the men’s doubles title with a 5-7, 7-6, 7-6 win over Berland and Bojan Popovic.
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