Onwards and forwards for Raguin after historic debut
Mqondisi Dube | Monday February 2, 2026 06:00
After years of hard work, Ntungamili Raguin now sits at the peak of a thriving tennis career that was perfectly honed in the streets of Francistown. From the foot of the Nyangabgwe hill grew a career that has steadily blossomed across the continent, and this week, it reached the utmost point under the bright lights of Melbourne.
History was made as Raguin, who turned 17 on January 26, became the first Botswana tennis player to play in a grand slam when he debuted at the Australian Open Junior Championships.
Instead of quivering and letting the abundant junior tennis talent that had gathered in Melbourne overpower him, Raguin instead rose to the occasion with a valiant display, typifying Botswana's resilience.
In the build-up to the Australian Open, he participated in the J300 Traralgon junior championships, which served as a precursor to the season-opening Junior Grand Slam.
Raguin left a last impression as he reached the semi-finals at the first time of asking in what was easily the biggest stage of his career. In the first round, he breezed past Italian Matteo Gribaldo 6-2, 6-3.
The tennis player began to shake the established order in the second round when he blasted past 13th seed Ryan Cozad of America, winning 6-4, 6-3, as Raguin's talent was laid bare to the world.
Raguin reserved his best display for the third round, where he accounted for the tournament's top seed, Yannick Alexandrescou. In a marathon match, Raguin prevailed 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, which evaporated any lingering doubts about the rising star's capability to compete at the highest level.
He moved to the quarter-finals and faced a Spanish opponent, Valentin Gonzalez-Galino, who retired hurt, with the match poised at one set each. Raguin had won the first set 6-3 before Gonzalez-Galino bounced back to level matters 6-2 in the second set. When the match was called off, Raguin was leading 2-0 in the deciding set.
In the semi-finals, Raguin was up against eight seed, Kuan-Shou Chen of Taipei, and the road to the final looked open when he took the first set 6-4.
But Chen bounced back to take the next two sets 6-3, 6-4, which ended Raguin's brilliant run. At that stage, Raguin had already booked his place in the main draw of the junior Australian Open and had made a strong statement of intent, particularly after claiming the scalp of the tournament's top seed.
At the junior open, Raguin opened his account with a 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 over Kisimov Dimitar in the Round of 64, before dispatching 15th-seeded American, Gavin Goode, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
His quest for a place in the quarter-finals ended at the hands of second-seeded Brazilian, Luis Queiroz, yesterday (Thursday), but his star had already shone bright, if not the brightest.
As he departs Australia, it will not be a surprise if endorsements start rolling in as the player begins to reap the fruits of years of hard work, which began at the Francistown School of Tennis, the brainchild of his father, Dominique Raguin.
Dominique founded the school in 2013 to develop tennis, and he would look back with pride that one of its products, Raguin, has stunningly risen to the top.
Raguin is fresh from registering his biggest trophy haul since his search for tennis glory took off at a tender age. In 2025, Raguin won five singles titles, more than doubling his total of two in 2024. He won his first major trophy on tour in Abidjan in 2023.
His success in 2025 and the blazing start to 2026 point to a career that has reached cruising altitude.
'It is a lot of pride because it is historic what I am doing. I have been talked about a lot in Botswana; people here have come to support me. Today there was a big crowd, and it was amazing. It pushes me to fight until the end,' he said.
'The Australian Open is my favourite Grand Slam. I get to play on courts I might play on when I will be pro, hopefully. I am proud to be the first Botswana player to play here,' added Raguin, who is now ranked number 75 in the singles.
His father, Dominique, said the player's performance at the Australian Open is a result of intense work.
'The performance is a result of the intensive and high-quality work put in over the last six months under the guidance of TEAM (Thomas Enqvist Active Mentoring Program), with a daily structure comprised of Killian Sinclair (tennis) and Benjamin Senac (physical training) and overseen by Thomas Enqvist,' Dominique said.
He revealed that Raguin's progression to the semi-finals of the J300 tournament was beyond expectation, as the target was to qualify for the main draw of both competitions. 'In the next few years, we see him playing on the main ATP circuit,' the father said. All points to a fruitful 2026 as Raguin boasts of a 82% win rate in January, after winning nine of his 11 matches.
Ntungamili Raguin’s junior singles titles
Year Tournament Surface 2025- J100 Gaborone Hard 2025- J60 Gaborone Hard 2025- J100 Nairobi Clay 2025- J100 Algiers Clay 2025- J60 Nairobi Clay 2024- J30 Kampala Clay 2024 -J30 Kampala Clay 2023- J30 Abidjan Hard