Acosta Coasts

While everyone else was getting blitzed last Friday night. Harvard's handball all-American, Danny Acosta, was down at the local "Y" blitzing his opponent in the finals of the Cambridge Open Championship.

Like the football team on Saturday. Acosta had to come from behind all evening, but unlike the gridiron warriors, he was successful.

Straight Shots

Unseeded Mike Operacz jumped off to a 5-0 lead in the first game but the second-seeded Acosta emerged from his stupor to tie Operacz at 14 all. After giving up two more points, Acosta ran off seven straight winners to take the game going away.

In the second game, Acosta suffered a relapse, falling behind 8-0. But another seven-point spurt thrust him into the lead at 15-13. The Kirkland House senior upped his margin to 20-16 before mis-hitting two potential game-winning shots.

Stiffer

Acosta's generosity ended at 20-19, however, enabling him to clinch his first open tournament victory. Last night he said the competition in the Cambridge tournament was stiffer than what he had faced in the NCAA Championships the last two years (he placed fourth in '76 and fifth in '77).

"I'm on, I'm ready, this is my year," Acosta added, looking ahead to this year's championships which are scheduled for the first week of March in Austin, Texas.