Two eyes are better than one, and the Harvard women's tennis team discovered in the first day of the Harvard Invitational yesterday that two I's are also better than one.

While only two of the Crimson's nine entrants remain alive in the singles championship tournament, its four top doubles squads advanced to tomorrow's quarterfinal round.

In flight-1 doubles, sophomore Kim Cooper and junior Amy deLone defeated Virginia's Riva Lapidus and Michelle McKeen in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, while freshman Ericka Elmuts and sophomore Jennifer Minkus prevailed over Illinois' Mary Beth Williams and Sabine Ensslin, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Flight 2 doubles was no different, as both teams advanced to the round of eight. Freshman Rachel Pollack and Harvard Co-Captain Niki Rival topped Virginia's Kristin Kepler and Rebecca Kopack, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, and junior Debbie Cohen and junior Tricia Small advanced with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory over Trinity's Stephanie Desmond and Aimee Shoemacker.

The two Crimson players who reached the semifinals in the singles competition are both competing in flight 3. It was not the Elis' day, as Rival defeated Yale junior Kathrin Linz, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-0, and Pollack topped Elis senior Karen Salmon, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, to advance.

The most competitive match of the tournament for Harvard came in flight I singles, with junior Amy deLone putting forth a valiant effort but losing to Princeton senior Diana Gardner, 6-1, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4).

"I was playing a lot more aggressive in the second set," deLone said. "A lot of times, I try to be too aggressive and wind up making a lot of mistakes but in the second, I was steady for four or five balls before going for it."

The score doesn't lie--momentum changed hands numerous times throughout the course of deLone's match. Trailing 6-5 in the third set, deLone seemed to be in trouble when she fell behind 0-30. However, the Harvard junior forged through several long rallies to force a tiebreaker.

"It was a very emotional match for both of us," deLone said. "It's always hard for us to play each other--we were both making a lot of unforced errors. She just stopped making as many in the third."

The Crimson's other entrant in the first flight, Cooper, was ushered out in the first round by North Carolina freshman Cinda Gurney, 6-3, 6-1.

Harvard did not fare as well in the other flights. Both Minkus and Elmuts exited in the first round in flight 2. Minkus lost to B.C. junior Regina Fagan and Elmuts fell to Yale freshman Karin Weiner, 6-1, 6-3.

In the fourth flight, Small dropped a tough three-setter in the first round, while Cohen and freshman Melinda Wang fell in straight sets in the second round.

THE NOTEBOOK: The seven other schools participating in the Invitational are B.C., Illinois, North Carolina, Princeton, Trinity, Virginia and Yale...The doubles quarterfinals and semifinals begin at 9 a.m. this morning with the final tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. The singles semifinals begin at 1 p.m. today with the finals at 12:30 tomorrow. All matches will be played at the Beren Tennis Center.

Men at Notre Dame

The Harvard men's tennis team has not been intimidated by the Golden Dome at Notre Dame. Playing in the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind., the Crimson is continuing the momentum it garnered by sweeping both the singles and doubles competition last weekend at the Harvard Invitational.

In "A" singles competition, Captain Mark Leschly captured a set before losing in the third round, but sophomore Michael Zimmerman advanced to the quarterfinals with two straight-set victories. Sophomore Mike Shyjan fell in straight sets in the third round.

All three Crimson players in the "B" draw, junior Jonathan Cardi and sophomores Derek Brown and Albert Chang, advanced to today's quarterfinals. The trio swept seven matches between them without dropping a single set.

Junior Ravi Kumar exited in the second round in the "C" competition.

In doubles action, Shyjan and Zimmerman lost in the first round of the "A" draw, 7-6, 6-3. Cardi and sophomore John Tolmie reached the "B" quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 victory.