With the national championships just around the corner, the top Harvard men's and women's squash players fared reasonably well at the USSRA Individual Championships in Philadelphia last week end.

Three representatives from each team competed in the tourney. Junior Adrian Ezra, senior Marty Clark and freshman Tal Ben Shacher traveled to beautiful downtown Philly for the men, while juniors Vanya Desai and Jordanna Fraiberg and sophomore Libby Eynon went for the women.

Ezra and Fraiberg finished highest for the Crimson, garnering second and third place respectively.

Ezra, who was seeded second in the tournament, breezed through the opening rounds before losing in the finals to Hector Barragon of Mexico, 3-1. Harvard Coach Bill Doyle said Ezra performed impressively throughout the weekend, especially during his semifinal match against Western Ontario's Scott Stoneberg. The Lowell resident won the contest in three straight games, 18-17, 15-14 and 15-10.

"Adrian played a great match in the semis with Stoneberg. Even though the score was 3-0, it was a very close match," Doyle said.

Doyle said Ezra's loss in the finals should not overshadow his overall performance. Barragon entered the tournament with the last three titles under his belt and the number one seed in his pocket.

"[Adrian] played very well in the tournament. He was moving the ball around the court really well and covering the court. He's very quick," Doyle said.

Ben-Shacher, who won the Israeli National Championship last year, faltered in the round of sixteen. But Doyle said the rookie has noticeably improved his game over the course of the season.

"Tal is a softball player on the international level. Hardball was foreign to him [when he first came here.] He has continued to improve and learn the American game," Doyle said.

Although Ezra and Ben-Shacher were pleased with their performances, senior Co-Captain Marty Clark felt that he did not perform at his peak last weekend. Seeded third, Clark exited much earlier than he would have liked to, losing in the quarterfinals to Roberto Rosalies of Mexico.

"I was very disappointed with my performance," Clark said. "I just couldn't put it together. I had problems concentrating."

The Women's Side

On the women's side, the Crimson displayed its national championship form. Although no Harvard player made it past the semifinals, the women's performances were especially impressive because their side of the tournament was open to professionals.

Fraiberg made it the semifinals before losing to Demer Holleran in three straight games. Earlier, in an unlikely twist of fate, Fraiberg faced and eliminated Eynon in the second round. Doyle said it was surprising and somewhat disappointing that the Crimson teammates had to meet so early in the tournament. Desai, the final Harvard competitor in the tourney, also lost to Crimson-wrecker Holleran, 3-0. As the men and women's teams approach critical matches against Yale and the national championships within the next two weeks, the individual tourney served as a successful tune-up for more important things to come.

"You have to be sharp when you're playing national tournaments," Doyle said.