D’Agostino is a consistent winner
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
When Chris D’Agostino faced his toughest challenge of the season, down a pair of match points in the sectional final, he was ready.
The Montgomery High School junior had been challenged at every step of his first season at first singles, right from the preseason when he had to beat out a pair of solid singles players to rise to the top of the Cougars ladder to the state singles tournament.
When D’Agostino trailed Michael Song of defending Group IV state champion West Windsor-Plainsboro High South in the second set of the Central Jersey Group IV final, D’Agostino pulled out his best.
”Usually throughout a season, you’ll have that one match and look back on it and you almost wonder how you did it,” D’Agostino said. “That was one of those.
”When I was down match point, I didn’t think of it like that. I kept playing every point the same way. I fed off the energy of my coach, who has always been a big supporter of me as one of the top players in the state. That helped when I was facing match point.”
D’Agostino came back to win the second set and when Song cramped and could not continue, his example helped to inspire the Cougars to their second sectional title in four years. MHS would go on to the Group IV state final before losing its first match of the year.
”I know Montgomery has had good teams in the past,” D’Agostino said. “And to keep that going and to have that come down to me pretty much was a good feeling, especially knowing that people in the school, they think highly of the tennis team. I wanted to keep that going. Me personally, that was probably my best moment as a tennis player. In tournaments, it’s always for yourself. I did that for the team, and it felt really good.”
D’Agostino put together an 19-6 record at first singles, reached the Somerset County Tournament final to help the Cougars claim a fourth straight team title, helped them win the Skyland Conference and take the CJ IV championship on their way to the Group IV state final and a 19-1 overall record. D’Agostino reached the third round of the state singles tournament before his individual run ended as well.
”I had always been a sort of streaky player,” D’Agostino said. “The most surprising thing for me was my consistency match to match. That was definitely an improvement.”
Chris D’Agostino is the HiTOPS/Princeton Packet Boys Tennis Player of the Year.
”I knew of him that he is a big match player,” said MHS head coach Erik Tavel. “Meaning when the stakes are up, and it means more, he gets more into it and plays better. I wasn’t worried that he was going to be nervous and not be able to handle it. He knew the pressure would be bigger, but he could handle it. He lost 6-4 in the third to Mitchell (Ren) in last year’s challenge match. I don’t think he was worried about playing one.”
D’Agostino has fought his hardest to be a reliable winner for the Cougars, and he has been that at every stage of his career. As a freshman, he lost just once at third singles. As a sophomore, he lost only twice at second singles. In each year, he won the county title at his flight, and he had hoped to do the same again this year, but lost in the final.
”The first year is always a tough one,” D’Agostino said. “It’s very different because you’re always playing the best from each school. When you’re playing a team match, if you’re doing well it’ll give them confidence. I felt I had to be more of a leader.”
D’Agostino felt a different responsibility at the top of the ladder. He got there with impressive wins over Kevin Xu and Ben Eckardt in pre-season challenges.
”I knew two freshmen were coming up, and only one ended up coming out for the team,” D’Agostino said. “I had seen him in tournaments before. I knew what was coming and I saw Ben last year as a freshman and knew how good he was. There was never an easy time for me in tryouts.
”The challenge matches gave me a lot of confidence. I know Kevin and Ben are not bad players and the way I beat them, I was surprised to handle them that easily.”
That confidence helped as he got into the regular season and the competition level rose. His game also had to improve.
”He improved by grinding, not rushing his big shots, not trying to end rallies early,” Tavel said. “Being able to play long rallies, if I play longer, I can get easier opportunities later. When you feel like you have to end the point quickly, that’s not a good sign. You want to feel like you can hit a lot of balls and win. Just to show your opponent you’re willing to stay out there grinding, it helps.”
It worked for D’Agostino when he needed it most in the sectional final. After dropping the first set to Song, D’Agostino was in danger of losing the match before he summoned great courage to hold off a strong opponent.
”Chris by toughing it out, fighting every point, he showed something,” Tavel said. “Last year I wasn’t sure he could have gone through a match like that, being a year younger and a year less mature. I saw a year of maturing of growing up and staying calm and not getting upset. He was able to remain calm long enough and believe in doing what he did. That was very impressive. He grew up a lot before that match, but certainly in that match.”
Said D’Agostino: “I’ve been in similar situations where I was the deciding match, but it wasn’t that close. Last year, I had beaten South Brunswick’s No. 2 before, but (in sectionals) I blew set points in the first set and ended up losing that. That was a disappointment that drove me to try to avoid the same feeling. Sometimes the pain from the losses serves as a huge positive.”
There haven’t been many losses for D’Agostino. He isn’t even to 10 in his high school career.
”I’m inching there,” D’Agostino joked. “It’s fine. It also helps you as a player to play these good guys. I wouldn’t want to take back the season at all, even the losses. They’ve all taught me something.”
And they have encouraged and motivated him for next year, when he will again have to fight off significant challenges just to keep the top spot in the MHS lineup. He knows there are ways he can improve. He would like to come back fitter, better able to handle the tough two-match days that come at the end of the season in the team and singles state tournaments.
”He wants the trifecta,” Tavel said. “He wants to win the title in each spot in counties like Mitchell did. The year he had this year is going to prepare him better for next year. It’ll help him for next year. He had such a good year, he got to play some good high quality opponents which only helped him.”
Most exciting to Tavel is that D’Agostino seems only energized, not drained, by the pressures and challenges of the year. After falling in the third round of the state singles tournament, D’Agostino wasn’t mulling over what could have been, but what is still to come in his final scholastic season with a Cougars team that he expects to be even better.
”I already have next year in sight,” D’Agostino said. “I wouldn’t say I wasn’t pleased with this year. I’m not a sore loser, but we didn’t win it all. That’s always the goal. I’m proud of my team and to win the whole state is for next year.”