Mmegi

In front of a roaring crowd, tennis makes its mark

Roaring success: The tennis team celebrates with fans after securing promotion to Group IV PIC: BTA
Roaring success: The tennis team celebrates with fans after securing promotion to Group IV PIC: BTA

It was a strong statement of intent, or a stirring reminder of the evolution of local tennis. It could be a mixture of both, but critically, the results are telling after the Davis Cup team served a delicious tennis milestone over the weekend, writes MQONDISI DUBE

Ntungamili Raguin emerged as the fulcrum of a successful Davis Cup campaign following four days of top-class tennis at the National Tennis Centre. Denzel Seetso, a central character in Botswana's recent tennis victories, was afforded rare minutes off the court as Raguin assumed the starring role, ultimately leading his nation to glory. Non-playing captain and one of Botswana's most decorated players, Phenyo Matong was presented with a healthy selection headache with the ever-reliable Mark Nawa ensuring the country has a potent trident to pick from, particularly for the singles matches. In 2024, Botswana had come agonisingly close to gaining promotion to the Davis Cup Africa Division IV, but surrendered right at the death to an inspired Gabon. This year's campaign was also a hard-fought battle of wits despite the team cruising in the group stage matches, where they did not drop a set. The campaign kicked off with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Libya, with Ranguin getting the campaign off the ground with a convincing straight-sets win.

Seetso secured the other victory, whilst Nawa partnered with Tsholofelo Tsiang to drive Botswana on the road to a thumping victory. The second match against Congo proved to be a walk in the park with Botswana cruising to a dominant 3-0 victory without even losing a game. Evidence of Botswana's pool of talent was on display as Matong shuffled his cards, with Tsiang and Nawa involved in the singles whilst Raguin and Esi Molefe were tasked with the doubles duties. Seetso enjoyed a rare off day, as Botswana proved too strong for its opponents on the day. Their final group stage match against Ethiopia saw Raguin again tasked with playing the first singles match, and he proved why he has been in rich vein of form on the international circuit with a 6-1, 6-2 demolition of Yabets Kebede. In the second match, Nawa maintained the rhythm with a 6-0, 6-1 shellacking of Dawit Musa.

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