{"id":72356,"date":"2025-07-31T19:07:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T19:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv"},"modified":"2025-07-31T19:45:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T19:45:33","slug":"botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv","title":{"rendered":"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>The promotion was sealed in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon after Botswana defeated Madagascar 2-1 in a decisive doubles match during the promotional playoffs of the Davis Cup Africa Group V tournament.<\/b><\/p>\n

Against the backdrop of a raucous home crowd and a searing Gaborone sun, the Botswana men\u2019s tennis team secured a landmark promotion to Davis Cup Group IV, signalling a major step forward for the nation\u2019s tennis ambitions.<\/p>\n

The promotion was sealed in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon after Botswana defeated Madagascar 2-1 in a decisive doubles match during the promotional playoffs of the Davis Cup Africa Group V tournament.<\/p>\n

With the tie level at 1-1, all eyes turned to the final game \u2014 a doubles showdown between Botswana\u2019s Ntungamili Raguin and Mark Nawa against Madagascar\u2019s Valentin Rakotondrasoa and Nicolas Raharivony.<\/p>\n

Reserve of grit and teamwork<\/p>\n

The Botswana pair delivered under pressure, drawing upon a deep reserve of grit and teamwork to outlast their opponents from the Indian ocean island state and spark celebrations that reverberated across the Notwane Tennis Courts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boys understood the assignment and owned the moment,\u201d said Tshepang Tlhankane, spokesperson of the Botswana Tennis Association, in a telephone interview. \u201cThey were extremely hungry, and the hunger is what drove us into Group IV.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Botswana, the victory was more than a promotion \u2014 it was redemption.<\/p>\n

Despite the advantage of playing on home soil last year, the national team fell short of their goals during the same competition. That disappointment lingered, fuelling the team\u2019s motivation this time around.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce beaten, twice shy\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team came determined to correct what we missed last year,\u201d said Tlhankane. \u201cThe mandate is always to come out tops if you\u2019re hosting, and we didn\u2019t achieve that. But the boys said \u2018once beaten, twice shy,\u2019 and they were not going to let it happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

BTA credited their improved hosting arrangements and preparation as key contributors to the team\u2019s success. Building on lessons from the 2023 edition of the tournament, organisers refined logistics and operations to ensure a seamless experience for visiting teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cHosting was smooth,\u201d said Tlhankane. \u201cWe used last year\u2019s tournament as a reference point and made sure this year was as smooth as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Positive feedback all round<\/p>\n

The five-day event, which drew 15 African nations to Gaborone, was widely praised by visiting delegations for its professional organisation, hospitality and spirited atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll we got is positive feedback,\u201d Tlhankane noted. \u201cEvery team that was represented here shared the same sentiment \u2014 from hospitality and on-court action to off-court coordination. The feedback is all in unison.\u201d<\/p>\n

But beyond the trophies and rankings, the Davis Cup\u2019s true impact may lie in its inspiration of future tennis stars.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung kids got involved in the Davis Cup as ball persons and had the opportunity to witness high-performance tennis at close range,\u201d Tlhankane said.<\/p>\n

Higher tier<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really helps with motivation. When they see their favourite players compete against some of the continent\u2019s best, it plants a seed of success in their minds \u2014 and all we have to do is cultivate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Botswana\u2019s promotion, alongside Mozambique from a competitive pool of 15 nations, signals growing momentum in the country\u2019s tennis development efforts.<\/p>\n

With their elevation to Group IV, the team now faces a higher tier of continental competition \u2014 a challenge that BTA has pronounced itself eager to embrace.<\/p>\n

Botswana has arrived<\/p>\n

The packed stands at Notwane Tennis Courts over the weekend, filled with cheering fans waving Botswana flags, underscored the growing local appetite for tennis.<\/p>\n

As the team begins preparing for their next chapter in Group IV, one thing is clear: Botswana has arrived and intends to stay.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Botswana<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. The promotion was sealed in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon after Botswana defeated Madagascar 2-1 in a decisive doubles match during the promotional playoffs of the Davis Cup Africa Group V tournament. Against the backdrop of a raucous home crowd and a searing Gaborone sun, the Botswana men\u2019s tennis team secured a landmark […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":72355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-72356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"\nBotswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The promotion was sealed in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon after Botswana defeated Madagascar 2-1 in a decisive ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The promotion was sealed in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon after Botswana defeated Madagascar 2-1 in a decisive ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Botswana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-31T19:07:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-31T19:45:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/07\/sm_1753978330.231715.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-31T19:07:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-31T19:45:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv\"},\"wordCount\":629,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/07\/sm_1753978330.231715.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Botswana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv\",\"name\":\"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV - Botswana\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/07\/sm_1753978330.231715.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-31T19:07:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-31T19:45:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"The promotion was sealed in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon after Botswana defeated Madagascar 2-1 in a decisive ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/07\/sm_1753978330.231715.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/07\/sm_1753978330.231715.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/\",\"name\":\"Botswana\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV - Botswana","description":"The promotion was sealed in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon after Botswana defeated Madagascar 2-1 in a decisive ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV","og_description":"The promotion was sealed in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon after Botswana defeated Madagascar 2-1 in a decisive ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv","og_site_name":"Botswana","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2025-07-31T19:07:07+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-31T19:45:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/07\/sm_1753978330.231715.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV","datePublished":"2025-07-31T19:07:07+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-31T19:45:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv"},"wordCount":629,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/07\/sm_1753978330.231715.jpg","keywords":["Botswana"],"articleSection":["all news","sport"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv","name":"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV - Botswana","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/07\/sm_1753978330.231715.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-31T19:07:07+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-31T19:45:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"The promotion was sealed in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon after Botswana defeated Madagascar 2-1 in a decisive ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/07\/sm_1753978330.231715.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2025\/07\/sm_1753978330.231715.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/botswana-rises-to-davis-cup-group-iv#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Botswana Rises to Davis Cup Group IV"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/","name":"Botswana","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}