Nigerian-Botswanan duo reach Wimbledon junior doubles semi-finals
Nigeria’s Oluwaseun Ogunsakin and Botswana’s Ntungamili Raguin have reached the boys’ doubles semi-finals at Wimbledon, defeating the sixth seeds in straight sets.
Nigeria’s Oluwaseun Ogunsakin and Botswana’s Ntungamili Raguin have continued their remarkable run at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, advancing to the boys’ doubles semi-finals with another impressive victory. The African pair defeated sixth seeds Yanick Theodore Alexandrescou of France and Ryo Tabata of Japan 6-4, 7-6 to secure a place in the last four of the prestigious junior tournament.
The victory extends what has become one of the standout doubles campaigns at this year’s Championships, with the Nigerian-Botswanan partnership emerging as giant killers. Ogunsakin and Raguin announced themselves in the opening round by upsetting the tournament’s third seeds 6-3, 7-6(1). They followed that with a hard-fought Round of 16 victory over an American pair, winning 6-1, 4-6, 10-1 before dispatching the sixth seeds in straight sets.
Their latest triumph also continues an outstanding Wimbledon campaign for Ogunsakin, who made history earlier in the tournament by becoming the first Nigerian in 36 years to compete in the Wimbledon boys’ singles draw and the country’s first singles representative at any Grand Slam event in more than a decade. Although his singles journey ended in the opening round following a spirited three-set defeat to Britain’s Oliver Page, the 17-year-old has responded strongly in the doubles competition.
The Aurum Tennis Academy player has steadily built his reputation on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior circuit after training at the ITF High Performance Centre in Tunisia and competing through the ITF/Grand Slam Player Development Programme.
Ogunsakin’s progress has also drawn praise from former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, who has followed the teenager’s development since his administration sponsored him to the ITF academy in Tunisia. Fayemi recently described Ogunsakin as an exceptional talent and expressed confidence that he would continue to make Ekiti and Nigeria proud on the global stage.
Ogunsakin and Raguin will face the winners of the other semi-final between Brazil’s Luis Guto Miguel and Slovenia’s Žiga Šeško, and the pairing of Austria’s Rihards Neimanis and Romania’s Matei Todoran on Friday, with a place in the Wimbledon boys’ doubles final at stake.
For Nigerian tennis fans, Ogunsakin’s run is a reminder of what the country once was and could be again. Nigeria had a vibrant tennis culture in the 1990s with players like Nduka Odizor and Tony Mmoh competing on the global stage. The sport declined in the intervening decades due to underfunding, lack of infrastructure and the dominance of football and athletics. Ogunsakin’s qualification for the singles draw and his doubles run are signs that Nigerian tennis is stirring back to life.
The winners: Nigerian tennis fans, who have waited decades for this moment; Ogunsakin, who has made history; and Nigerian tennis, which has a new star. The losers: the Nigerian government and sports authorities, who have spent decades neglecting a sport that is now producing global talent.
Bottom Line: A Nigerian teenager is one win away from a Wimbledon final. That is not just a sports story. It is a reminder of what Nigerian talent can achieve with the right support.