Emma Raducanu vs Suzan Lamens LIVE: Raducanu wins in straight sets at the Madrid Open
Raducanu earned her first win of the clay-court season by beating Lamens 7-6 6-2 in the opening round
Emma Raducanu banished her Madrid Open demons of last year as she overcame Suzan Lamens in straight sets to kick off her clay campaign.
Raducanu had to recover from a break down in both sets to claim a 7-6 6-4 victory at the Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, showing grit 12 months on from first-round heartache in the same competition, where she suffered arguably her worst loss of 2024 to Maria Carle.
With “informal” coach Mark Petchey at courtside, the Brit survived three break points in the ninth game of the first set to force a tiebreak, which she won 7-4 to draw first blood in the Spanish capital.
With the pressure on Lamens, the Dutchwoman became increasingly frustrated as her service game deteriorated, something which was punished by Raducanu as she took the second set 6-4, booking her place in the second round and setting up a clash with Ukraine’s Mata Kostyuk, the 22nd seed.
Follow live updates from Raducanu’s clash with Lamens below:
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GAME, SET & MATCH! *Emma Raducanu 7-6 6-4 Suzan Lamens
Raducanu forces to Lamens to go wayward on her second serve, bucking the trend of falling behind at the beginning of service games.
She then goes just short with a deft drop shot but drills an ace to get back on track, before a strong forehand gives her a match point...
She gives her second serve the beans, and LAMENS GOES LONG! Raducanu claims victory after a tightly-fought battle in Madrid!
Next up for Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu will no doubt enjoy her hard-fought victory over Suzan Lamens today, but focus will quickly change to the next challenge at hand.
After booking her place in the second round of the Madrid Open, she has set up a clash with Ukraine’s Mata Kostyuk, the 22nd seed.
It’s a player she’s beaten in Madrid before, and she’ll hope to do it again as she looks to continue in fine stead in the Spanish capital.
Emma Raducanu progresses to second round in Madrid Open
Mark Petchey liked what he saw
Report: Emma Raducanu marks return to action with straight-sets win at Madrid Open
Emma Raducanu marked her return to action with a straight-sets win over Suzan Lamens at the Madrid Open.
The 22-year-old took a break from the WTA Tour following her run to the Miami Open quarter-finals last month, swapping tournament action for a training block ahead of the clay-court swing.
It appeared to pay dividends as she opened her campaign in the Spanish capital with a 7-6 6-4 win over Lamens.
Emma Raducanu marks return to action with straight-sets win at Madrid Open
Emma Raducanu proud of resilience despite imperfect performance
"I know I had to play really well to win and although it wasn't always my best, I got stuck in at the right moments," Raducanu said.
"I'm proud of how I competed. It is a strength of mine when I can use it."
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