🎾 WTA Madrid R1: Emma Raducanu vs Suzan Lamens

🎾 WTA Madrid R1: Emma Raducanu vs Suzan Lamens – Match Preview

🧠 Form & Context

🇬🇧 Emma Raducanu

• Turning the corner: Her Miami Open QF marked the first time in 2025 she won back-to-back matches. Momentum is finally building again.
• Climbing back: Has surged into the top 50 after starting 2024 ranked outside the top 300, thanks to six QFs since last year.
• Madrid struggles: Lost in R1 last year and hasn't recorded a win here since 2022.
• Mental steel: Saved match points against Navarro in Miami—showing growing confidence under pressure.

🇳🇱 Suzan Lamens

• Breakout performer: Made her first WTA 250 semifinal in Rouen last week, beating Andreescu and Noskova en route.
• Fast riser: Climbed from outside the top 200 to inside the top 65 in 2024—one of the fastest movers on tour.
• Giant killer: Four top-50 wins already this year show she's not just riding luck.
• Madrid debut: First WTA 1000 main-draw appearance—momentum is high, but experience is low at this level and altitude.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Raducanu enters as the higher-profile name with the more complete toolkit, but she’s still rediscovering rhythm—especially on clay. Her court coverage and rally tolerance are improving, and she’ll look to use angles and early ball strikes to shorten points in the thinner Madrid air.

Lamens, however, is not here to roll over. She’s fresh off a red-hot week and has proven she can handle heavy hitters and big stages. The question is whether she can translate that level to Madrid's faster clay and handle Raducanu's variety and return pressure.

🔮 Prediction

Pick: Emma Raducanu in 3 sets

Lamens will make her work for it, but Raducanu’s tactical maturity and big-match poise should be enough to survive a tough opening test.