Emma Raducanu made a strong return to the WTA Tour with a confident straight-sets win over Suzan Lamens at the Madrid Open.
The 22-year-old Brit had taken a brief break from competition following her impressive quarter-final run at the Miami Open, opting instead for an intensive training block ahead of the clay season.
Her preparation appeared to pay off in Madrid, where she defeated Lamens 7-6 (4), 6-4 in her opening match.
Raducanu, currently working informally with Andy Murray’s former coach Mark Petchey, showed both composure and precision in her performance. The first set saw several shifts in momentum with exchanged breaks, but Raducanu held firm in the tie-break, winning four straight points from 2-3 down to take the lead.
Lamens, ranked 73rd in the world, attempted a fightback in the second set, taking an early 2-0 advantage. However, Raducanu quickly regained control, breaking twice and closing out the match at 5-4 with a composed service game.
She now advances to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the second round.
