Raducanu's Return To Action Starts With Madrid Win

Emma Raducanu's return to nan WTA Tour began pinch a hard-fought triumph complete Dutch force Suzan Lamens successful nan Madrid Open first round.

The British number two, playing competitively for nan first clip successful almost a month, crushed retired a 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 triumph connected nan clay.

Raducanu trailed by a break successful each group earlier instantly recovering and edged nan bigger points to unafraid victory.

"I cognize I had to play really good to triumph and though it wasn't my best, I sewage stuck successful astatine nan correct moments," Raducanu said.

"I'm proud of really I competed. It is simply a spot of excavation erstwhile I tin usage it."

Raducanu took a "physical and mental" break from competitory action aft reaching nan Miami Open quarter-finals past month, alternatively opting for a 10-day training artifact successful Los Angeles.

The world number 49 spent nan clip location moving pinch Mark Petchey, who is coaching her connected an informal ground and was watching arsenic she hit Lamens successful her first clay-court quality of nan season.

Raducanu, 22, will play Ukrainian 24th seed Marta Kostyuk successful nan 2nd round.

Fellow Britons Sonay Kartal and Francesca Jones play their first-round matches later connected Wednesday.

The Madrid Open is simply a WTA 1000 arena - nan rung of tournaments beneath nan Grand Slams - and 1 of nan astir important successful nan build-up to adjacent month's French Open.

During her Miami run, Raducanu said regularly astir showing "resilience" to triumph matches and needed to show that value again successful her first clay-court lucifer successful a year.

Lamens, classed 73rd successful nan world, is simply a combative subordinate who has improved sharply complete nan past twelvemonth and is much than comfortable connected nan surface.

Earlier this month, she hit British number 1 Katie Boulter successful nan Billie Jean King Cup necktie that Raducanu missed to "rest" her assemblage aft a packed commencement to nan season.

Raducanu was often incapable to header pinch Lamens' baseline powerfulness successful nan opening group but recovered from a break down - and saved 3 much break points successful nan ninth crippled - to resistance her force into a tie-break.

Another measurement of Raducanu's improved resilience has been her awesome caller grounds successful these situations - and showed it again.

While she was besides helped by Lamens' errors, Raducanu maintained her composure to return her tie-break grounds to 6-1 this year.

Petchey was sat successful her container alongside Raducanu's long-time state Jane O'Donoghue, regularly offering praise and encouragement astatine important junctures.

Raducanu played much aggressively successful nan 2nd group but besides had to excavation heavy arsenic Lamens tried to pin her backmost down nan baseline.

There were flashes of brilliance from nan Briton, too.

A moving forehand down nan statement and different thunderous victor piled connected nan unit arsenic Lamens tried to clasp service successful a lengthy seventh game, pinch double faults aiding Raducanu arsenic she yet broke.

However, it was not a straightforward way to victory. Raducanu shakily mislaid service for 4-4 earlier a disappointment Lamens wobbled again and allowed nan Briton to unafraid different confidence-boosting victory.