Andre Ilagan won his first-round match at the U.S. Open qualifying tournament last month, becoming the first Hawaii player to ever compete at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. The 5-foot-8 lefty from Kalihi, who learned the game on cheap rackets from Goodwill, walked away from his debut on tennis's biggest stage with a message: “I belong on this stage now.”
Ilagan defeated Tristan Boyer 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the opening round of qualifying on August 25, according to KHON2, converting 63% of his first serves and winning 73% of points on them. As Hawaii News Now reported, Ilagan competed in the qualifying tournament in New York with the support of a coach who is also from Hawaii, and he drew backing from a large Filipino crowd along with some fellow Hawaii transplants in the stands.
His run ended the next day in the second round, where he fell 6-1, 6-3 in straight sets to France's third-seeded Hugo Gaston, per University of Hawaii Athletics. Ilagan said he gave his everything in the tournament and described competing at the U.S. Open as a privilege, according to the Hawaii News Now report. He also said his representation of Hawaii and his Filipino heritage carried extra weight in his first major tournament.
From Kalihi's Public Courts to Flushing Meadows
Ilagan grew up in Kalihi, where he learned tennis at Kalākaua District Park using cheap rackets bought at a Goodwill store, according to Aloha State Daily. His parents steered him toward tennis, rather than the family's basketball background, as a path toward a college scholarship given his modest height. That advice paid off: he started playing tennis, as he put it, to get to college, and it worked.
He graduated from Farrington High School in Honolulu in 2018 after winning back-to-back Hawaii High School Athletic Association state singles titles his junior and senior years, per the same University of Hawaii Athletics account. Standing 5 feet 8 inches and playing left-handed, Ilagan competes on tour.
A Record-Setting College Career at UH
Ilagan's path to Flushing Meadows ran through the University of Hawaii, where he concluded his collegiate career in 2023 and became the program's first-ever Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American. The university's athletics department also credits him with four First-Team All-Big West selections across singles and doubles.
He was one of nine players awarded a wild-card entry into the 2026 U.S. Open qualifying draw, making him the first former UH men's tennis player ever to compete in the tournament, the school's athletics department noted. That berth followed a summer in which Ilagan lost in the final of the Lexington Open in August.
Climbing the Rankings, Chasing What's Next
That surge pushed Ilagan to a career-high ATP ranking of No. 210 in August, a 33-spot jump. Since turning pro after his 2023 UH graduation, he has competed across the ITF Futures and ATP Challenger circuits through August.
Ilagan said his training with his coach is starting to pay off, and he pointed to giving back to Hawaii's next generation as his main goal going forward. He plans to give back to the next generation of young tennis players in Hawaii, following the same path that took him from a public park in Kalihi to a Grand Slam qualifying draw in New York.
