31 January 2026
Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) vice president Nonofo Othusitse has expressed the association’s delight at Ntungamili Raguin’s historic achievement at the Australian Open Junior Championships 2026.
“This is a performance exceeding all expectations. We are in awe of Ntungamili’s incredible display at his maiden Grand Slam,” Othusitse said of Raguin’s fairytale run.
“With this performance, his life has completely changed, and he has shone a light not only on Botswana but on Africa as a whole.”
Ntungamili Raguin’s impressive Australian Open Junior champs debut journey came to an end in the Round of 16 at the hands of second seed Luis Queiroz of Brazil on Thursday morning. Raguin missed a quarter-final spot after suffering a straight-sets 6-4, 6-3 defeat, but the rising star had already written his name in the history books. He made it to the Round of 16 on debut as he became the first Motswana and only one of four players from Africa to feature at the season-opening Junior Grand Slam. Speaking to reporters after the historic feat, an unassuming Raguin was optimistic about the future.
“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.
In his debut tournament at the Junior Grand Slam, Raguin won the opening set in emphatic fashion, sending a clear message that rankings counted for little on the court. The 17-year-old slowed down slightly in the second set, allowing Goode to level the match with a convincing win. However, the third and decisive set turned into a tense battle of nerves and endurance, with Raguin demonstrating remarkable mental strength to clinch it 6-4 and seal a memorable victory. Tuesday’s win marked Raguin’s second at the tournament. In the opening round played on Sunday, he defeated Dimitar Kisimov of Bulgaria 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 in another three-set encounter.
The performance highlighted the work of his technical team, led by coach Killian Sinclair, whose preparations ensured the teenager was ready for both tactical challenges and physical endurance.
Raguin’s victory over Goode marked his fourth win against a top-30 opponent in the past two weeks, a statistic that has thrilled tennis followers.
Rising tennis star, Ntungamili Raguin, has always had a genuine love for the sport, which developed as early as six years, his father has said. Raguin is on local sport fans’ lips following a historic debut at the Australian Open Junior Championships this week, becoming the first Motswana tennis player to feature at a grand slam. The 17-year-old rose from the Francistown School of Tennis, pioneered by his father, Dominique Raguin. As Raguin made history in Australia, Dominique revealed that his son has always had a genuine love for tennis.
“Very early on, around age six, when he started travelling to Zimbabwe with teammates from the Francistown School of Tennis, it was obvious,” Dominique told MmegiSport on Thursday.
‘He was always smiling, on and off the court, fully engaged and happy to be there. The motivation was clearly coming from him.’
Despite the monumental achievement of gaining entry into a grand slam, one of tennis’ highest stages, Dominique said his son has remained grounded.
‘He is still very much Ntungamili – simple, gentle, and quietly confident. He is someone who smiles easily and gets along naturally with teammates, peers, and adults alike,’ Dominique said.
‘He is also very responsible and autonomous. He manages his own schedule, gets himself to training and is always on time, which is essential given how tight his routine is between tennis, fitness, schoolwork, tutoring, and physio,’ he added.
On how the player balances sport and school work, Dominique bemoaned it is a challenge at the moment.
“Over the past three years, he attended a school with a special programme for high-level athletes, with classes in the morning and training every afternoon.
“This year, because of extensive international travel – sometimes up to four weeks at a time – we moved him to distance education. He is in the second-to-last year of the French Baccalaureate, which comes with early coursework deadlines and final exams in June, so the academic calendar is very compressed,” he said.
According to the tennis star’s father, striking a balance between sport and schoolwork requires a lot of discipline and support, but Raguin understands the ‘trade-off.’
“The coming months will be very school-intensive, especially when he is back in France, but this structure gives him the flexibility to compete in the world’s top junior tournaments, including Grand Slams,” Dominique said.
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