Crimson Battles Princeton Today For Major Tennis Championship

Harvard's tennis team hosts Princeton at 2 p.m. today in a match which will determine the Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis League Championship.

Both teams have rolled over all opposition in Eastern play for perfect records. The Crimson is 7-0, white the Tigers have won four without a loss.

Last your Harvard upset the Tigers, 5-4 for the first time in six years. As usual, Princeton dominated the singles taking four of six matches, but the Crimson swept all three doubles to end Princeton's four-year dominance of the Ivy League.

In a battle of speedsters, Captain Dave Benjamin plays Princeton Captain Keith Jennings in the first singles match. Benjamin is a steady player who relies on a controlled game from the backcourt, while Jennings varies a baseline game with his aggressive net play. The Tiger senior, winner of the Eastern singles tournament last Fall, will be favored today against his old rival.

Sophomore Bernie Adelsberg, at number two for the Crimson, has been playing on and off all year. But he will have to be on to beat Ham Magill, a steady player who probably has the best ground strokers in the Ivy League. Magill, a skinny player with a devastating backhand, was playing number one for Princeton this Spring until last week.

In the third and fourth spots, Harvard's Clive Kileff and Richie Friedman will face Les Back and Lee Rewis. Kileff was sidelined for a week and a half following the Boston Marathon, but should be in good health today for Buck, the number one player on Princeton's freshman team last year and a fantastic athlete. The steady Friedman should have a good chance.

Jose Gonzales will play Sam Bussey, a two-handed top-spin player, in the fifth match. Gonzales, who has a strong net game and a good overhead, bowed to Bussey in the number three freshman match last year, 6-3, 6-3. Dick Appleby faces Tiger Clint Belser in the crucial sixth match, which looks like a toss-up.

Coach Jack Barnaby, who always emphasizes strong doubles, will need at least two, or possibly all three, doubles matches for a win.

Two years ago, Harvard won two doubles and lost the match, 5-4; last year Harvard won three doubles and the match, 5-4.

Offensive Elan

Appleby and Brian Davis will be playing in the first match against Jennings and Rawis. The Crimson duo is potentially a fine teem with plenty of offensive elan. They won the second doubles match at Princeton last year. In Jennings, however, they will be meeting great doubles player.

In the second doubles, Adelsberg and Gonzales will face Magill and Buck. Buck is extremely quick and has an excellent overhead -- a doubles must -- but Magill's backcourt game is more oriented to singles. Adelsberg and Gonzales, who were undefeated for the Harvard freshman last season, should win this one.

Benjamin and Kileff will probably play third doubles for Harvard, and the Princeton team is as yet undetermined.

Princeton, with its strength in the singles, is a definite favorite today, although a couple of key singles wins in the lower position could mean another Harvard upset.

The Big Three title will also be at stake today. A 10 singles and five doubles round-robin among Harvard, Princeton, and Yale determines the championship.