It took Harvard's tennis team less than two hours to wrap up its 23rd consecutive Cambridge city championship yesterday. as the considerably-favored Crimson swept all six singles matches and won a doubles contest before dusk to roll over M.I.T. 8-1. on the Engineers' hard-surfaced courts.

Only Hopes

M.I.T.'s only hopes had rested with seniors Manny Weiss and Bob McKinley at the top two positions on the ladder, and both of them lost in three set-matches. McKinley, who had lost to Harvard's Bill Washauer in the quarterfinals of last year's New England championsips, lost to him again. 6-0, 5-7, 6-2. at number one, and Weiss, the captain. dropped a 6-8, 6-0, 8-6 contest to Crimson junior Chris Nielsen, after rallying from a 4-1 deficit to take the first set.

Elsewhere on the singles ladder. Harvard ran into little opposition. Sophomore Dave Fish whipped M.I.T. senior Joe Baron in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, at number three, and junior Joe Cavanagh rallied to dump Steve Cross at the fourth position. 4-6, 6-0, 6-1.

"I had a little troube getting started." said Cavanagh, who reported to pre-season drills late because of the hockey season. "I had gotten so used to that sport that I kept putting my shols in the net."

Shutout Completed

The Crimson's fifth-ranked performer, captain Buich Kawakami, defeated Scudder Smith 6-3, 7-5, and junior Bill Brock swept Art Perkins. 6-1, 6-2, at six to complete the singles shutour.

Brock teamed with senior Bill Ball to win the third doubles match. 6-3, 6-4. just before dusk to give Harvard its seventh point. but at both of the other doubles positions. Engineer tandems rallied from first-set losses to throw the match into a tie when darkness halted competition.

McKinley and Weiss, who had been defeated by Washauer and Nielsen at the New Englands last Spring, salvaged a 6-3 victory in yesterday's second set at first doubles and staved even at 3-3 in the third set when the match was called.

Then, at second doubles. Engineers Cross and Smith robounded from a 6-1 loss in the opening set to win the second. 7-5, and tied the third at 8-8. Both matches were considered draws, and each squad received a half-point for its trouble.