Raguin's win catapults him to Top 50
Calistus Kolantsho | Tuesday January 27, 2026 09:33
The victory put him in the top 50 of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings. The winner was decided in the third set after Raguin won the first set 7-5 and lost second set 1-6 in favour of his opponent. In the third set, Raguin made a comeback to pick a 6-4 victory. He will be in the court today as he continues with the tournament. Raguin recorded the first-ever match win by a Motswana at a Grandslam main draw, a breakthrough for Botswana Tennis Association (BTA).
After the Australian Junior Open, Raguin will then head to Ecuador for the ITF J300 next week.
Speaking to Sport Monitor, BTA president, Oaitse Thipe said for the player to have reached the top 50 means Raguin will definitely play all the Grandslams being French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
Thipe added there is a possibility of the player winning the slams after beating world number two during the ITF J300 Traralgon campaign.
“Raguin is getting support from BTA, Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) and National Olympic Committee (NOC), but it is not enough.
“He needs a lot of support to maintain the top 50, travel around and take care of coaches,” Thipe said.
Meanwhile, Ekua Youri picked her second win of the year over the weekend, defeating Daianne Hayashida 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 of University of Iowa. Youri is currently playing for University of California Santa Barbara.
Another talented player, Esi Molefe has departed for the United States of America (USA), where he will join Barton Community College men’s team in Kansas State. Molefe was part of the Davis Cup team that was promoted to group four in 2025.
Malak Macheng also jetted off to Tunisia yesterday (Monday), where she will be based for the next few years.
Macheng was part of the Under 14 team that scooped a silver medal during the ITF/CAT Southern Africa Junior Championships that was held at the National Tennis Center in Gaborone.