Fatigue finally hit the Harvard men's tennis team after weeks of cross-country barnstorming, while the women's team opened its team season with a disappointing showing in the ECAC tournament in Princeton.

Harvard Men

The men closed out the fall season with the Harvard Fall Invitational, an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) individual event held across the river at the Murr Center.

Facing players from Bowling Green, Rutgers, Colorado and MIT, the Crimson looked tired and worn out from last Monday's comeback victory in the ECAC tournament against Columbia. With nine Harvard players spread out among three different flights, the results were less than solid considering the opponents' abilities.

Co-captain Joe Green reached the finals of the "A" flight after two tough three-set victories over players from Colorado and Bowling Green. His finals opponent, the Buffalo's Maciej Dilaj, was the pleasant surprise of the tournament, beating Crimson sophomore William Lee, the No. 4 seed and top seed Artur Rusiecki of Colorado to get to the championship match.

Green started off strong in the first set, staying on pace with Dilaj from the baseline and making well-placed first volleys. However, with the score 3-3, Green's groundstrokes started finding the net and the doubles alley more and more. Dilaj broke and served for the set, up 5-4.

The Crimson senior fought off a set point and was able to stay in the match as Dilaj began to spray his shots wide. It wasn't enough. Dilaj rebroke at took the set 7-5.

With Green's concentration lost, and fatigue setting in, Dilaj began a barrage of deep, hard forehands that kept Green off-balance. Dilaj ran off with the set, 6-3, and the title.