Ilagan makes UH men’s tennis history in the NCAAs

Andre Ilagan continues to break new ground for the University of Hawaii tennis program.

Already the first UH player to twice qualify for the NCAA Men’s Singles Championship, Ilagan earned the program’s first win in the event on Monday. The Farrington graduate then became the Rainbow Warriors’ first All-American on Tuesday with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Texas’ Siem Woldeab in the round of 32 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.

“Honestly, it’s still a shock to me,” Ilagan said in a phone interview. “But I’m just taking it day by day and waking up the next morning like it’s another match, not over-thinking anything. I’m enjoying the accomplishment for tonight and then tomorrow it’s a brand new day.”

Although rain forced delays over the first two days of the tournament, Ilagan is scheduled to face Ohio State’s Alexander Bernard today at 6 a.m.

Bernard helped the Buckeyes reach the NCAA Championship team final, won by Virginia on Sunday, and entered the singles tournament at No. 41 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranking. The freshman advanced on Tuesday when Stanford’s Samir Banerjee retired with Bernard leading 3-6, 6-4, 3-1.

“I can say he’s around my height and plays similar to me. So that’ll be a fun matchup,” the 5-foot-7 Ilagan said.

Ilagan (18-3), the Big West’s highest-ranked player at No. 65, knocked off No. 44 Patrick Maloney of Michigan on Monday and survived two set points against No. 54 Woldeab on his way to his 17th consecutive win.

Persistent rain in Orlando forced the match indoors and Ilagan went down a break and trailed 5-3 with Woldeab serving for the first set up 40-30. Ilagan survived the first and the left-hander fired a forehand past the 6-foot-4 Woldeab to earn the break. He held serve to tie the set, then broke Woldeab’s serve again. An ace pushed Ilagan ahead 40-0 and he held off Woldeab to take the set.

“He has the confidence and the experience to see himself as a top player, and he knows that he has the ability to execute when it matters most,” UH coach Joel Kusnierz said.

He went down 0-40 to open the second set before rallying to earn another service break. He fought off a break point with a shot down the line to go up 3-1 and held serve the rest of the way to advance.

Ilagan is the first Big West player to reach the round of 16 since 2013. He’s also the second UH tennis player to earn ITA All-America honors and the first since Petra Melounova reached the round of 16 in the NCAA women’s singles championship in 2019.

“It’s certainly a testament to all the hard work he’s been putting in over the years,” Kusnierz said. “And it’s truly inspiring for the recruits, the current players we have, and it definitely sets new standards for the future of the program.”

While the weather meant waiting around for his matches on Monday and Tuesday, playing in Manoa provides preparation for dealing with delays.

“For me it feels like home,” Ilagan said. “It rains back home, we don’t know what time we’ll play, so we’re laid back, we’re chillin’. We’ve got nothing else to do.”