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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, May 12, 2002

Lim, Lee win state singles tennis titles

Advertiser Staff

Farrington High senior Anthony Ilagan made history yesterday, but Punahou School sophomore Robbie Lim won the boys singles title of the Carlsmith Ball State Tennis Championships at Wailea Tennis Center on Maui.

Lim prevailed, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5, as Ilagan — perhaps the first Farrington player to reach the state tennis final — succumbed to heat, pain and experience after leading 5-2 in the third set.

"I had to run all over the place," said Lim, who is ranked No. 1 in the state in boys 16s. "I had to hang in there and dig real deep and eventually I pulled it out."

Ilagan, who took up tennis with his father only four years ago, was treated by trainers during the third set on a hot, humid, overcast, mostly windless Maui day. He was hobbling noticeably.

Lim said that Ilagan beat him in a non-high school tournament at Turtle Bay two weeks ago.

Ilagan got his dad to try tennis with him in the summer before he entered Farrington in 1998. He won the O'ahu Interscholastic Association championship the last two years.

Agenhart Ellis, a teacher and administrator at Farrington since 1968 and a long-time state tennis official, said he believed it was the first time anyone from the Kalihi school reached a state final in tennis. Ilagan lost in the semifinals in 2000 and in the quarterfinals last year.

Other than boys singles, things seemed familiar yesterday.

Punahou won the boys team championship for the 12th year in a row and 33rd time in the 45-year history of the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association Tournament. Iolani won the girls title for the fourth straight year. And sisters named Kaloi won girls doubles for the third year in a row.

In the girls singles final, Iolani senior Marianna Lee was truly "insync," which happens to be her e-mail address.

Lee avenged her only defeat of last year's state tournament and completed an unbeaten season by taking down top-seeded Michelle Pautler of Hawai'i Prep, 6-3, 6-4. Lee was seeded second and Pautler first.

Pautler lost the final to an Iolani player for the second year in a row. Last year, Tracie Ann Chong (now at UNLV) beat her. Lee placed third last year.

"Our games are kind of similar, we both try to attack," Lee said. "There were a lot of unforced errors, and it was a matter of whoever made the least."

Pautler described her philosophy of tennis earlier. She said: "It's a sport you have control of. ... If you do well, it's all you. But if you lose, it's all you as well."

Lee will attend Brown (R.I.) in the fall.

In a sisters vs. sisters doubles final, a pair of Kaloi sisters won for the third year in a row, as top-seeded Kim and Heidi Kaloi of Kamehameha defeated third-seeded twins Allison and Jenna Ishii of Iolani, 6-1, 6-1.

Kim, a junior, partnered with older sister Janalle the past two years. This year Janalle played at Santa Clara University and was co-Freshman of the Year in the West Coast Conference.

Until the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championships two weeks ago, Kim and Heidi Kaloi had not played as a doubles team "since we were little kids," said Heidi, a freshman.

They also defeated the Ishiis in the ILH final April 26.

"I was a little nervous (yesterday) because I was called for seven foot faults in the semifinals," said Kim Kaloi. "I stepped back from the baseline a little so I wouldn't slide my foot over the line and I put more top spin on my second serve to make sure it was in.

"I'm super happy that I won for the third year in a row with my sister. I hope I can do it again with Heidi next year."

After that, she said, she might rejoin sister Janalle at Santa Clara.

Top-seeded Michael Chan and Nainoa DePontes of Kealakehe beat second-seeded Chris Iwamura and Matt Nakagawa of Punahou for the boys doubles title, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

SHORT LOBS: The Kaloi sisters lost seven games in five matches at states. ... Robbie Lim was seeded fourth and Anthony Ilagan third in boys singles. The No. 1 seed lost in the round of 16 Friday and Illagan beat the No. 2 seed in a semifinal yesterday morning.