After challenging the like of the University of California at Los Angles and nearly beating them early his season and going undeated against its Eastern competition so far, the Harvard men's tennis team has cruised into the semi and quarterfinal rounds of the New England Championships this weekend at Yale.

The most exciting part of the 10-team tourney for the Crimson was expected to be a rematch between Yale's Glenn Layendecker, and Harvard first seed Howard Sands. Layendecker ousted Sands last week at Soldiers Field, giving him his first East Coast loss of the season. But Sands scratched from the tournament slate Thursday night and remained in Cambridge, feeling ill and still a bit uncomfortable because of a slight ankle stress fracture, which he sustained against Dartmouth.

With Sands out of the tournament. Harvard's Warren Grossman is the hopeful challenger to the top-seeded Layendecker. Though Grossman usually plays number two behind Sands, he is ranked second in A-sing let category. And having beaten Layendecker in October's ECAC tourney. Grossman is favored by Harvard enthusiasts for an upset.

Sands absence has also shifted sophomore Dave Beckman into the top singles category. He will have to play Layendecker today, and has been complaining about a sore back, which he believes was caused by leaning over his desk studying for the past three days.

Despite the line-up adjustments, every one of the netmen has made it to the quarterfinal round of the singles contest Members of the Yale and Brown squads have done the same, but the Crimson has beaten both the Elis and Bruins in head-to-head competition this season. Harvard brought the tourney cup to Cambridge last year, but Yale has won the last four of six years, so Yale is favored in seeding categories and to win the cup this year.

Happy Couples

In doubles play the netmen have fared equally well with each of the newly formed pairs advancing to the semi-final round of the tourney. Number two doubles Grossman and Rob Loud got some experience in the number one spot against Brown last week, when they downed Bruins Darryl Linsey and Mike Benson, 6-4, 6-2. Today, as the Crimson's number one pair, they face Boston University's Larry Field and Dave Katz, a duo who received a fourth-place ranking in pre tourney seeding Yesterday, the tandem defeated Boston College's John O'Connell and Bill Kelly, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

Reversal

In an impressive comback effort Beckman also beat a B.C. contender, Louis Nunez, who came to match point before allowing Beckman to snatch the match from him, 6-4, 7-6.

Freshman Larry Scott, who usually plays first doubles with Sands, paired with Sy Fountaine, a swing man in the Crimson's lower lineup spots. They both made it to the semis in the third C-doubles division, downing Clark's Josh Weinman and Joe Bernard, 6-2, 6-2.

New England Championships

Singles

A, Warren Grossman (H) d (Clark) 6-3, 6-2. Dave Beckman (H) d Louis Nunez (B.C.) 6-4, 7-6, B. Rob Loud (H) d Gary Davidson (URI) 6-4, 6-2, C. Adam Baren (H) d Dan McCornick (URI) 6-1, 6-1; Sy Fountaine (H) d Tom (Providence) 6-1, 6-0.

Doubles

A Grossman Loud (H) d John O'Connell-Bill Kelley (B.C.) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; B. Beckman-Beren (H) d Barast-Dough Amore (Clark) 6-0, 6-1, C. Scott-Fountaine (H) d Josh Weinman-Joe Bernard (Clark) 6-2, 6-2.