The Harvard tennis team played Princeton's unbeaten Tigers almost to a stand-still Saturday, before Princeton pulled out a 5-4 victory.

There was only about 6 feet, 3 inches and 175 pounds of difference between the teams, and its name was Herb Fitzgibbon. The Tigers' top player was the only man on either team to win in both singles and doubles and he, almost singlehandedly, took care of the decisive point.

The Tigers had seen their 2-4 lead in singles matches trimmed by a 6-3, 6-1 win by Harvard's Dave Benjamin and Clive Kileff over Ham Magill and Hugh Lynch at third doubles. Meanwhile Bob Inman and Frank Ripley were ahead in the second match, on the way to a 6-3, 8-10, 6-3 victory over Keith Jennings and Lee Rawls.

It was up to Fitzgibbon and his erratic partner, Speed Howell, to preserve the lead and Princeton's unbeaten season against Chum Steele and Dean Peckham. Steele had beaten Howell in singles, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, rallying from a 5-1 deficit in the first set and upsetting Howell with needle-sharp passing shots.

Wth his partner spraying shots wildly, Fitzgobbon took command. At net he covered almost every inch of the court; he never lost his own serve, and his overhead seemed infallible.

It was a shade too much for Peckham and Steele, who dropped a 6-4, 6-4 decision.

It was Steele and Peckham who kept Harvard in the match earlier, Steele with his win over Howell and Peckham with a 6-0, 6-1 demolition job on Rawls at number six.

Peckham's quick win gave Harvard a 1-0 lead. Princeton tied it when Fitzgibbon finally shook off Frank Ripley and won, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0. It was the first time Fitzgibbon has lost a set this year.

Lynch put Princeton ahead with a 6-2, 9-7 triumph over Inman at number five; the Tigers stretched it to 4-2 despite Steele's win when Keith Jennings outlasted Benjamin in a backcourt duel, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, and Magill turned back a determined Kileff, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Every Harvard player won either in singles or doubles. "I was really proud of the way they played, especially in the doubles," said coach Jack Barnaby. "We could have had them, but that Fitzgibbon...