Kaur notches impressive fifth straight singles win as No. 11 Beavers top Lyons

Kirat Kaur defeated Chaniel Soffer of No. 11 Babson to collect her fifth straight victory at No. 2 singles for Mount Holyoke on March 27, 2024. (RJB Sports file photo)

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke College tennis team faced its toughest and deepest opponent of the season thus far in No. 11 nationally ranked Babson, and the Lyons saw their four-match win streak snapped 8-1 Wednesday evening at the MHC Indoor Tennis Courts. The match was highlighted by Mount Holyoke sophomore Kirat Kaur's victory at No. 2 singles.

Kaur (Chandigarh, India) rose to 9-3 this year with her fifth straight win at the second singles position for the Lyons, as she defeated Chaniel Soffer 7-6(6), 6-4, in an upset going by ITA player ratings.

Babson (6-1, 3-0 NEWMAC) swept doubles play to assume a 3-0 lead. Junior Annika Chai (London, England) and Kaur had the most competitive doubles match at the No. 1 position, falling 8-4 to Adele Fernandez and Chaniel Soffer. At second doubles, Babson's Laetitia Rizk and Juliette Moschella won 8-2 over sophomore Cal Smith (Bridgewaster, Mass.) and first-year Rachel Allen (Mary Esther, Fla.), this week's NEWMAC Doubles Team of the Week. At third doubles, Mount Holyoke sophomores Kate Vavra (Weston, Mass.) and Kennedy Bagley-Fortner (Montclair, N.J.) battled Babson's Kamila Stasiowska and Elena Keitt to an 8-3 loss.

Four of the Beavers' six singles players didn't compete in doubles, with each one winning in straight sets. Olivia Soffer defeated Chai at No. 1, while Shyla Khattar defeated Smith at No. 4, Grace Starcher defeated Vavra at No. 5, and Jane Wang defeated Mount Holyoke sophomore Natali Kostadinovic (Pirot, Serbia) 6-2, 6-3 at sixth singles.

Mount Holyoke (7-3, 1-1 NEWMAC) will next play at Emerson on Saturday at 11am.

Babson 8, Mount Holyoke 1
March 27, 2024 at MHC Indoor Courts

Doubles
1. Adele Fernandez/Chaniel Soffer (B) def. Annika Chai/Kirat Kaur (MHC) 8-4
2. Laetitia Rizk/Juliette Moschella (B) def. Cal Smith/Rachel Allen (MHC) 8-2
3. Kamila Stasiowska/Elena Keitt (B) def. Kate Vavra/Kennedy Bagley-Fortner (MHC) 8-3
Order of Results: 3, 2, 1

Singles
1. Olivia Soffer (B) def. Chai (MHC) 6-3, 6-2
2. Kaur (MHC) def. Chaniel Soffer (B) 7-6(6), 6-4
3. Keitt (B) def. Allen (MHC) 6-0, retired
4. Shyla Khattar (B) def. Smith (MHC) 6-2, 6-2
5. Grace Starcher (B) def. Vavra (MHC) 6-0, 6-1
6. Jane Wang (B) def. Natali Kostadinovic (MHC) 6-2, 6-3
Order of Results: 3, 5, 4, 6, 1, 2