Apr 12, 2016 2 min read

The third time ended up being the charm for Chris Gladden.

Making his third appearance at the district championships Tuesday, the Canon-McMillan senior used his speed to defeat Fox Chapel’s Sidd Rajupet, 6-3, 6-1, to earn his first WPIAL Class AAA title after finishing as the runner up in 2015 and lost in the semifinals as a sophomore.

“It was awesome,” Gladden said. “Last year was a great experience, but winning is a lot different than taking second. I felt I was in it every point and when I got that last point, it was such a relief.”

Gladden, the top seed and a Marist recruit, lost to Latrobe’s Chad Kissell in the finals last spring and fell in the PIAA semifinals to Michael Dickson of Downingtown East before defeating Rajupet in the third-place match.

Once again, Gladden took home a win over the Fox Chapel senior. Gladden won the first set 6-3 and jumped out to a 4-1 lead over Rajupet in the second set, despite facing a tough wind.

Gladden, who is a 4-star recruit and the state’s top-ranked player according to tennisrecruiting.net, will now prepare for the PIAA championships, which are held May 27-28.

“I was a little nervous going in because I knew Sidd was a great player, but once I found my style, I felt more confident,” Gladden said. “It was a really cool experience.”

In Class AA, California’s John Monroe lost to Sewickley Academy’s Sam Saulter in a consolation match, 6-4, 6-1.