This was J.C. Aragone’s third opportunity to win a professional title. He’d been on the cusp in his first two tries — both went three sets and one time he served unsuccessfully for the match.
This win for the former Virginia tennis star came in Calabasas, California, just about an hour and a half from his hometown of Yorba Linda. Still, the proximity favored his opponent, Marcos Giron, who lived 10 minutes from the venue.
The 6-2, 6-4 win on Sunday was significant because it gave Aragone his first win and put $3,000 in his pocket, but also because it continues to validate a pro career that he didn’t know was possible.
“It’s always tough to get your first one,” Aragone told The Daily Progress on Tuesday. “… I definitely was thinking in the back of my mind, ‘Am I going to lose again?’”
Aragone played No. 5 and No. 6 singles for Virginia from 2013-17. In the summer after his junior year, he interned at J.P. Morgan and didn’t play any tennis. It’s atypical of No. 5 singles players to make any sort of noise on the professional circuit. Aragone understood that and started to plan accordingly.
But Aragone, who decided to give tennis a shot after graduating, got a lucky break by receiving a wild card entry into the U.S. Open qualifying in 2017. Then he miraculously beat three opponents to qualify for the main draw. Aragone lost to eventual finalist Kevin Anderson in three sets.
It might be a while before Aragone is capable of competing against the best of the best in the world, but that U.S. Open run revitalized his career. He just cracked the Top 400 in the world rankings last week and just won his first title. It’s an undeniable upward trend.
“I’ve been playing a ton of tournaments,” Aragone said. “Again, it’s finding that rhythm and getting into completion and playing more. And now I feel like I’m in a good place right now, where I’ve found my stride again.”
The world of the Future’s Pro Circuit isn’t as lucrative as J.P. Morgan. The 22-year-old enjoyed staying with a host family all week as he bulldozed through the competition in California.
Now he’s staying in Miami, training with his coach for the upcoming clay court season — a surface that he lacks experience on. Ranked at No. 367 in the world, he’s established a legitimate tennis career after being on a college team playing against the opponent’s fifth- or sixth-best player.
Working at a major bank might pay more, but Aragone is seeing success at giving this career a shot first.
“I was like, ‘I’m gonna go work, I’m gonna live in New York, I’m gonna accept this job,” Aragone recalled. “And my dad was like, ‘Look that’s fine, do whatever you want, but in the fall, why don’t you play a couple pro tournaments and just see how it goes.’”
During his match on Sunday, Aragone was surprised at how strongly the crowd was against him. He had his brother in the stands all week, and his parents came up for the final. Aragone said it was one of the first matches in his career that he didn’t have many fans. “It was just crickets out there,” he said.
“That usually has never happened to me, because I’m a pretty likable guy,” Aragone said. “People usually cheer for me.”
And as he becomes more successful, and his story becomes more improbable, the more cheers Aragone will likely get.