Hawaii-born son of Filipino immigrants reaches career-high ranking after consecutive Challenger finals
NEW YORK — Filipino American Andre Ilagan has earned a wild card into the US Open men’s qualifying tournament, giving the Hawaii-born professional the biggest Grand Slam opportunity of his career after a sharp rise through the ATP Challenger circuit.
Ilagan, 25, was ranked a career-high No. 210 when the U.S. Tennis Association announced the qualifying wild cards. He will need to win three matches in the 128-player qualifying tournament to secure one of 16 available places in the men’s singles main draw.
US Open qualifying is scheduled for Aug. 24 through 27 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
The invitation follows the strongest stretch of Ilagan’s professional career.
He reached consecutive ATP Challenger finals this month, finishing runner-up in Lexington, Kentucky, before advancing to another championship match in Brownsburg, Indiana. Former world No. 31 Lloyd Harris defeated him 6-2, 7-6(6) in the Brownsburg final.
The USTA also identified Ilagan as the runner-up in its US Open Wild Card Challenge, a competition that rewards American players based on results at designated hard-court tournaments leading into the Grand Slam.
For Ilagan, the US Open opportunity marks another step in a career built largely outside the sport’s most visible tournaments.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Ilagan is the son of Filipino immigrants with roots in General Santos City. He attended Farrington High School, where he won two Hawaii state singles championships, before becoming one of the most accomplished players in University of Hawai‘i men’s tennis history.
The university said Ilagan will become the first former player from its men’s tennis program to compete at the US Open.
During his collegiate career, Ilagan became Hawai‘i’s first Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American. He also qualified for consecutive NCAA singles championships and earned Big West Player of the Year honors.
He completed his college career in 2023 and moved into professional tennis, initially competing extensively on the ITF circuit before establishing himself at the ATP Challenger level, the tier immediately below the main ATP Tour.
His rise has accelerated in 2026 as deeper tournament runs produced both ranking points and opportunities against more experienced players.
The US Open wild card does not place Ilagan directly into the main draw. Qualifying is a separate tournament involving players seeking the final available positions in the 128-player men’s singles field.
That distinction is significant as Ilagan approaches his first appearance at Flushing Meadows. A successful three-match qualifying run would give him his first Grand Slam main-draw berth.
His participation also gives Filipino American tennis another presence at one of the sport’s four major tournaments. Ilagan competes internationally for the United States but has spoken publicly about his Filipino family background and upbringing in Hawaii.
His path differs from players who enter Grand Slams through established rankings or direct main-draw wild cards. Ilagan has spent the years since college accumulating points across lower-level professional tournaments, gradually moving into Challenger events and improving his ATP position.
The back-to-back finals this month represent his clearest evidence yet of progress at that level.
Ilagan’s first qualifying opponent will be determined by the US Open qualifying draw.
