Andre Ilagan made history last year as the first boys singles tennis state champion from Farrington. Ilagan made it back-to-back titles with a 6-2, 7-5 (8-6) victory over ‘Iolani’s Phuc Huynh on Saturday at the HMSA/HHSAA Tennis State Championships on the courts of Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park.
“I want to thank God and my parents and everyone who came here to support me. It was a great atmosphere and great tennis out here,” said Ilagan, a senior who grew up training with his father on the courts next to Kalakaua Middle School.
While Huynh won the boys title in 2016 and came into the three-day state tourney seeded first, Saturday was Ilagan’s day. The left-hander was crisp, precise and often overpowering in this latest chapter of his battles with Huynh. The ‘Iolani senior defeated Ilagan in a USTA tournament in January, which is why he got the nod over Ilagan, the No. 2 seed.
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“It’s just a number,” Ilagan said of the seeding. “I don’t want to make an excuse, but I had a cold in January, so I couldn’t really play my best.
“Today, I got a good outcome. I just had to be more patient with everything, my whole game. Phuc is a player who doesn’t miss.”
The girls bracket featured a first-time champion in Punahou senior Alyssia Fossorier, who followed up her ILH crown by dethroning classmate and defending state champ Katreina Corpuz 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in Saturday’s final. The No. 2 seed looked like a veteran who had an answer for all of Corpuz’s moves because the two have played together and against each other since they were 10.
“Right now, I’m just shaking. We both put up a really good fight,” Fossorier said.
When Fossorier upset Corpuz for the ILH girls title recently, some of that shine was tempered because of Corpuz’s bout with strep throat. This time, though, it was a 3-hour, 10-minute battle that tested their endurance as the sun scorched the courts.
“There was no difference from ILH. I know she was sick at ILH, but she still gave a hard fight,” Fossorier said. “Today, too. I knew that she was going to come with a strong game. I just knew I had to be at the top of my game. It’s such a hard tournament and there can be some pressure with it, but mentally, I tried to stay focused. I’m glad the hard work paid off.”
In boys doubles, the fourth-seeded duo of brothers Sean and Scott Yamamoto outlasted the No. 2-seeded team of Robert Chang and Cody Ching 6-3, 7-5 in an all-‘Iolani clash for the title.
“The fourth seed, it took some pressure off us. We played each match with a chip on our shoulder,” said Sean, a senior.
The girls doubles title went to the No. 4 seed duo of Betsy Wo and Clarise Huang of Punahou, who defeated seventh-seeded Sabrina Loui and Gabriela Siaosi of ‘Iolani 6-2, 6-3.
“We knew from the start that they were really good, so we focused on our legs and our fundamentals. We wanted to be really aggressive at the net, because that’s when we do our best setting each other up,” said Wo, a senior.
‘Iolani dominated the boys team standings with 26 points, followed by Farrington (8), Hilo and Punahou (7), and Mid-Pacific and Mililani (5).
Punahou captured the girls team title with 32 points, followed by ‘Iolani (9), Waiakea (7), Konawaena (5), and Maui, Mililani and Pearl City (3).
