Playing surfaces proved the chief stumbling-black to tennis coach Jack Barnaby's team as they dropped two quick matches to navy, 5-4, and Army, 6-3, in the season's openers at the service academies.

After two weeks practice on the low, fast-bouncing surfaces of the Indoor Athletic Building, the slow, damp clay at Annapolis throw the Crimson just enough off balance to drop the decision by one match. The next day at West Point, rain forced the contest onto the fast indoor cement courts, aging throwing the Varsity off-balance to the tune of a 6-3 defeat.

Barnaby described his team's play as "ragged but no worse than a typical early season show." Bad conditions and lack of practice accounted for much unsteady play.

Steve Pratt, who accompanied the squad as an alternate, turned up as the surprise of the trip by stepping into the number six slot against Navy and winning his match in straight sets as well as teaming up with Murray Levin to produce the Middies' only doubles defeat.

Barnaby also had high praise for Bill Wightman, who "refused to lose" to a highly experienced Navy opponent, finally wearing him down to take the match.

The Summaries: Navy: Fisher (N) defeated Backe (H), 2-0. Tufts (H) defeated Jagoe (N) 2-0. Vogt (N) defeated Coon (H), 2-0. Fishman (N) defeated Levin (H) 2-0. Wightman (H) defeated Tift (N), 2-1, Pratt (H) defeated Waller (N), 2-0. Jagoe and Tift (N) defeated Ennis and Wightman (H), 2-0. Fisher and Vogt (N) defeated Backe and Coon (H), 2-0. Pratt and Levin (H), defeated Tift and Fishman (N) 2-1.

Army: Oliver (A) defeated Backe (H) 2-0. Wellborn (A) defeated Tufts (H), 2-0. Callaway (A) defeated Coon (H), 2-1. Peraci (A) defeated Wightman (H), 2-1. Stillson (A) defeated Levin (H), 2-0. Warren (H) defeated Lauer (A), 2-1. Oliver and McMuller (A) defeated Backe and Pratt (H), 2-0. Tufts and Coon (H) defeated Wellborn and Cummings (A), 2-1. Levin and Willner (H) defeated Stillson and Maihofer (A), 2-1.