Emma Raducanu vs Suzan Lamens LIVE: Score and updates from Madrid Open

Belinda Bencic has dispatched Zeynep Sonmez 6-0 6-2 so Emma Raducanu will be next up. In fact, the players have just walked out onto court in the Madrid sunshine.

‘I’m very comfortable in the seat that I am and I know that every single person has a different journey,” the 28-year-old told the BBC.

“My journey is not going to be compared to anyone else’s – I’m proud of that.”

Emma Raducanu broke new ground at the Miami Open, and she did so thanks to the help of a couple of old faces in the box.

One of these was Mark Petchey, a former coach of Andy Murray and now a well-known commentator and broadcaster on the Tennis Channel.

Currently detailed as an “informal”, short-term solution to Raducanu’s turbulent coaching setup, Petchey keeps his place in the box for the Madrid Open after helping guide Raducanu to her best run since her US Open triumph of 2021.

Jamie Braidwood delves deeper into Petchey’s presence following success in Miami:

Suzan Lamens was on the losing side of April’s dramatic Billie Jean King Cup clash with Emma Raducanu’s Great Britain, despite picking up a win for her nation.

Lamens beat British No.1 Katie Boulter in straight sets to send the tie into a deciding doubles match in The Hague.

But with Boulter brought back alongside Jodie Burrage by captain Anne Keothavong in a change to her original pairing, Great Britain dominated Lamens and Demi Schuurs to take a spot in September’s eight-team finals.

Britain’s victory was all the more impressive having played without Emma Raducanu, who chose to withdraw to focus on her training ahead of the clay-court swing.

Emma Raducanu believes her “less is more” approach will pay off as she returns to action at the Madrid Open following a mid-season break.

Raducanu reached the quarter-finals of the Miami Open last month in her best tournament run since winning the US Open in 2021.

After Mariano Navone battled past Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in straight sets to get things going at the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, Belinda Bencic has got off to an absolute flyer against Zeynep Sonmez.

She’s 4-0 up in the first set and is threatening to make extremely quick work of her opponent.

With Emma Raducanu next up on the order of play, it might be a good idea to start thinking about warm-ups.

Emma Raducanu is to continue working with coach and commentator Mark Petchey on an “informal” basis, rather than hunting for a permanent coach.

The British No. 2 had Petchey in her box at the Miami Open last month, alongside friend and mentor Jane O’Donoghue, with the more relaxed coaching set-up seeming to pay off as Raducanu reached her first-ever WTA 1000 quarter-final in Florida.

Whoever wins will play Ukraine’s world No. 29 Marta Kostyuk, who has a first-round bye, in the second round, with world No. 1 and two-time Madrid champion Aryna Sabalenka a potential quarter-final opponent.

Katie Boulter won her first-round match against Olympic mixed doubles champion Katerina Siniakova and will play world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini in the next round.

In the men’s draw, Jack Draper is seeded fifth and will play either Tallon Griekspoor or a qualifier in his opening match, with Italy’s Matteo Berrettini a possible third-round opponent and Novak Djokovic looming in the quarter-finals.

Cameron Norrie, who has dropped down to British No. 3 with Jacob Fearnley’s rise up the rankings, opens against home favourite Martin Landaluce and will aim to set up a second-round tie with Czech talent Jiri Lehecka, who Norrie recently beat in Indian Wells. New Monte Carlo champion Carlos Alcaraz could await in the third round for the winner.

Viewers in the UK can watch the Madrid Open on Sky Sports. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

The tournament runs from from April 22 to May 4 and is a combined WTA and ATP event.

Emma Raducanu and Suzan Lamens are the third match scheduled on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, after Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs Mariano Navone from 11am, and Belinda Bencic against a qualifier, which will take place not before 1pm local time.

Raducanu and Lamens will likely take to the court around 2.30pm local time, 1.30pm BST, but possibly later if the previous matches significantly overrun.