Tough week for local stars at World Tennis Tour
Mqondisi Dube | Tuesday May 19, 2026 08:54
Junior grand slam debutant, Ntungamili Raguin was amongst the headline acts, as he played on home soil for the first time since taking part in the Australia Open in January.
The week-long competition, which attracted top players from across the world, saw local stars in Mark Nawa and Tsholofelo Tsiang all fall in the first round.
Raguin appeared on course to reach the second round but fell to American, Preston Brown 5-7, 6-3, 5-7, while Nawa lost to seventh seed Stefan Vujic 6-4, 6-1.
Tsiang was beaten 0-6, 4-6 by fifth seeded American, Cooper Williams as the local stars tested their strength against some top talent from around the world.
Raguin, recently voted the Junior Sportsperson of the Year at the Botswana Sport Awards, said it felt special to be back competing at home.
'Playing in front of family, friends and local supporters gave the tournament a different energy, and I really appreciated the support especially during the doubles quarter final I played with Mark, where the crowd was really on fire. Representing Botswana at home always means a lot to me, and I really appreciate people who take time to come and support local tennis,' he told SportMonitor.
Raguin and Nawa reached the second round for the doubles, where they lost to Australian duo, Ty Host and Vujic.
'There were positive aspects to take from the tournament, especially considering the level and the fact that this was my first professional tournament. At the same time, there are areas I know I can still improve on, both physically and tactically,' Raguin added.
Second seed, Constantin Bittoun Kouzmine from France won the men's singles tournament after beating Monaco's Rocco Piatti 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
In the women's section, Chelsea Chakanyuka was Botswana's best player, after she reached the second round. Her counterparts, Kelebogile Monnayoo and Nina Sekonopo did not clear the first round hurdle.
Chakanyuka opened her account with a 7-5,6-3 victory over Australian D'Estree Colalancia to progress to the second round where she came unstuck against top seed, Lan Mi of China. Mi won 6-1, 6-2.
Monnayoo lost 6-0,6-0 to Indian, Saumya Vig, while Sekonopo went down to South African, Meri Sandenbergh, 6-0, 6-0. Mi emerged victorious at took the $15,000 prize money.
The second leg of World Tennis Tour began at the National Tennis Centre on Saturday and runs until Saturday, with the local crop getting another opportunity to atone for a tough week.
'The first week was really good. The level of play was high. Our players Mark, Ntungamili and Chelsea got valuable professional tennis ranking points,' Botswana Tennis Association, Oaitse Thipe said.
'We had over 115 players, 23 countries outside Africa are represented here. This tournament is bringing over P1.4 million into the country,' he added.