The clay season arrives with a renewed sense of optimism for Emma Raducanu. Following a challenging year battling wrist, ankle, and back injuries that stalled her progress, the 2021 US Open champion offered a glimpse of her former prowess at the Miami Open last month. Reaching the quarterfinals marked her deepest run in a significant tournament, showcasing resilience despite a tough loss to Jessica Pegula. Now, she’s received a direct entry into the main draw as an unseeded player. What’s the lineup looking like for her?
Raducanu’s Madrid Open journey commences with a first-round encounter against Dutch player Suzan Lamens, currently ranked world No. 69. The 25-year-old Lamens arrives in Madrid in strong form, having just reached the semi-finals of the Open de Rouen this week, where she faced a narrow defeat against third seed Olga Danilovic. This will be the first career meeting between Raducanu and Lamens, adding an element of unpredictability to their opening match on the red clay of the Spanish capital.
Should Raducanu navigate past Lamens, her path could lead to a second-round clash with Marta Kostyuk. The Ukrainian player, ranked No. 21 in the world, presents a significant step up in competition. Raducanu and Kostyuk have faced each other twice before on the WTA tour, with their head-to-head record currently standing at one win each. Their most recent encounter was in the second round of 32 at the 2023 Madrid Open, where Emma emerged victorious in straight sets (6-2, 6-1).
Emma Raducanu’s projected Madrid draw:
R1 – Lamens
R2 – Kostyuk
R3 – Badosa/Kudermetova
R4 – Qinwen/Kenin
QF – Sabalenka/Anisimova
SF – Pegula/Paolini/Rybakina/Jabuer
F – Swiatek/Gauff/Andreeva/Keys
— Lucas (@FlopMerchant) April 20, 2025
Beyond the initial rounds, the draw presents a challenging landscape. A potential third-round opponent could be either home favorite Paula Badosa or the in-form Veronika Kudermetova. She’s faced Badosa before, with a H2H standing 1-1 after Paula defeated her in their last encounter at the 2024 Washinton DC quarterfinals.
Beyond this, the fourth round could see a showdown with the powerful Qinwen Zheng, against whom Raducanu also holds a 1-1 record, or the 2020 Australian Open champion, Sofia Kenin, who won their sole prior meeting at the 2024 US Open.
The quarterfinal stage at the Madrid Open is shaping up to be a real showdown. There’s a strong chance world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka could be waiting, and she already has a win over Raducanu from their only previous meeting at Indian Wells last year. Alternatively, Amanda Anisimova could be the opponent, making for a high-stakes clash either way as the tournament heats up.
The potential semifinal and final opponents at the Madrid Open are a true who’s who of women’s tennis. Names like Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina, Ons Jabeur, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, and Madison Keys all stand out as possible matchups. Further highlighting the depth and competitiveness of the Madrid Open draw.
After her impressive quarter-final run in Miami, Raducanu decided to delay her clay-court debut, skipping both the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in the Netherlands and the WTA 250 in Rouen to regroup and train instead. She’s only played six matches on clay this year, putting up a solid 4-2 record, but before she even steps onto the red dirt, you can tell she’s channeling some serious inspiration from none other than Rafael Nadal—honoring his legacy as the greatest clay court player!
Emma Raducanu channels Rafa’s energy as she heads into clay season
Emma Raducanu turned heads at Manzanares Park when she hit the practice courts in a t-shirt straight from the Rafa Nadal Shop—repping the King of Clay in his own backyard! With Nadal not playing the Madrid Open this year, local fans loved seeing Emma pay tribute, and even the tournament’s official Instagram couldn’t resist, posting a video of her practice session with the caption: “Hola, @emmaraducanu,” complete with a waving hand emoji.
Nadal’s legacy looms large in Madrid, where he lifted the trophy five times and bid an emotional farewell to fans last year after reaching the last-16. He lost to Jiri Lehecka in straight sets, and as promised, that was his final appearance at his home tournament before retiring at the Davis Cup.
Now, all eyes are on Raducanu as she gears up for her own Madrid campaign. She’s admitted clay isn’t her comfort zone, but former British No. 1 Laura Robson is backing her to shine, pointing out that Emma’s power-packed groundstrokes could be a real weapon on the surface. Still, movement remains a challenge, understandable since she didn’t grow up playing on clay.
The Briton herself is keeping it real, saying, “I think in the future, it’s going to be a surface that will actually really suit me, I think, maybe I’m a little bit away from that right now.” With a tough draw ahead, the big question is: Will she surprise everyone and make a deep run? We’d love to hear what you think!
The post Madrid Open 2025- Emma Raducanu Handed Tough Draw With Potential Paula Badosa and Qinwen Zheng Threats Looming appeared first on EssentiallySports.
