The competition was stiff in the Harvard Women's Tennis Invitational, held Friday through yesterday at the Beren Tennis Center and the Palmer Dixon Courts, but the Crimson managed to hold its own.

All six teams that participated in the individual tournament--Harvard, Rice, Wisconsin, Boston College, Boston University and Colorado--were ranked in the top 50 at some point last year.

The Crimson's first singles player last year, junior Gina Majmudar, advanced to yesterday's first-flight singles final. There, however, Wisconsin's Melissa Zimpfer overpowered Majmudar for the 6-0, 6-2 victory and single's crown.

"I just had a hard time moving," Majmudar said. "I felt really slow today."

Harvard sophomore Mylin Torres was also impressive in first-flight singles action, advancing to the semifinals against Zimpfer. Torres battled Zimpfer for three close sets--6-7 (7-3), 6-1, 7-6 (7-2)--but an ankle injury hampered her performance and left her a few points shy of the victory. The injury was so severe that she was forced to default her match for third place yesterday.

In second flight singles action both sophomore Gabriela Hricko and freshman Rosemary She gave solid performances. Hricko earned a spot in the finals after downing Rice's Jessica Gagnon in semi-finals. But, Wisconsin's Barbara Urbanska was too much for Hricko in the finals, winning 6-0, 6-1.

In second-flight semi-finals, She battled Urbanska and put up more of a fight, but still came out on the losing end, 6-2, 6-3. In the match for third place, She dismantled Gagnon 6-1, 6-3.

In the third singles fight, sophomores Julia Kim and Anna Chai finished sixth and seventh, respectively. It was an All-Harvard battle for seventh place in the fourth and fifth singles flights. Freshman Karen Kim outlasted fellow freshman Annie Hiniker 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the fourth flight. Junior Jessica Granderson edged junior Ariel Clapp 6-3, 6-4, in the fifth flight.

Sophomores Lauren Reiss and Courtney Hohne finished fourth and seventh respectively in the sixth singles flight.

In the doubles action, the Crimson team of Torres and Hricko placed third, while Majmudar and She finished fifth in the first doubles flight.

In the second doubles flight it was again an All-Harvard battle for seventh. Chai and J. Kim defeated Hiniker and K. Kim 6-1, 6-1. At third doubles Clapp and Granderson won by default over Reiss and Hohne, for seventh place.

All in all, players and coaches agreed the tournament was a good start to the Crimson's season.

"Everybody's got something they can improve on," head coach Gordon Graham said. "Generally speaking, I thought it was a pretty good performance for this time of year."

"We all did what we were expected to do," said Majmudar.

With four talented new freshmen and every veteran returning from last year's Ivy League champion squad, the future looks quite bright for the Crimson.

"Compared to last year's team we're a notch better," Graham said. "We're certainly deeper. We just have to avoid injuries to our key players."