Emma Raducanu opened her clay-court season on a high note, claiming her first outdoor clay win in nearly three years at the 2025 Madrid Open. The former US Open champion overcame Dutch world No. 73 Suzan Lamens 7-6(4), 6-4 in a hard-fought opening round match.
Raducanu rallied from a break down in both sets and showed impressive resilience in the nearly two-hour battle. It marks her first outdoor clay victory since the 2022 French Open.
“I knew I had to play really well to win,” Raducanu said post-match. “It wasn’t always my best, but I competed hard, and that’s one of my strengths.”
The 22-year-old Brit opted to delay her clay season start, skipping the Billie Jean King Cup ties and the WTA 250 in Rouen. Her return in Madrid not only earned her 35 WTA ranking points—bumping her up from No. 49 to No. 47—but also offered positive signs in her service game.
Raducanu landed 61% of first serves, hit four aces, and committed only one double fault. Though her first serve win percentage was a modest 56%, she claimed a strong 66% of points behind her second serve.
She’ll next face 24th seed Marta Kostyuk in the second round. The head-to-head is tied 1-1, with Raducanu dominating their last encounter in Madrid back in 2022.
With no clay-court points to defend this season, Raducanu has a big opportunity to climb the rankings further.
