Emma Raducanu returns to the Madrid Open hoping to improve on her early exit from the tournament last year. Following a strong run to the quarter-finals at the Miami Open, the British star is set to begin her clay-court season in the Spanish capital.
In the first round, Raducanu will face Dutch player Suzan Lamens, with the winner scheduled to meet 24th seed Marta Kostyuk in the second round.
Meet Suzan Lamens
Lamens, 25, is currently enjoying the best spell of her career. In October 2024, she won her first WTA title at the Japan Women’s Open in Osaka. Coming through qualifying, she defeated sixth seed Viktoriya Tomova and seventh seed Diane Parry en route to the final, where she beat fellow qualifier Kimberly Birrell 6-0, 6-4.
That win propelled Lamens into the WTA top 100 for the first time, and she reached a career-high ranking of World No. 64 in March 2025.
2024 was a breakthrough year for Lamens, which included:
- Her first top-10 win over Jelena Ostapenko in Billie Jean King Cup action.
- Victory at the WTA 125 event in Oeiras.
- Her Grand Slam main draw debut at the 2025 Australian Open, where she reached the second round after defeating Veronika Erjavec.
Current Form
Lamens enters Madrid with a solid 15-10 win-loss record for the 2025 season. She’s been particularly impressive on clay in recent weeks:
- Beat Katie Boulter and Tatjana Maria in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers.
- Reached the semi-finals at the Rouen Open, with wins over Bianca Andreescu and second seed Linda Noskova.
Other highlights this season include:
- Qualifying for the Dubai Tennis Championships.
- Reaching the round of 16 at the Brisbane International.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first-ever meeting between Raducanu and Lamens. They narrowly missed facing each other in Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers earlier this month when Raducanu withdrew.
Ranked 22 places higher, Raducanu enters the match as the likely favorite, but Lamens’ recent clay form suggests it could be a close contest.
