During her Miami run, Raducanu spoke regularly about showing “resilience” to win matches and needed to demonstrate that quality again in her first clay-court match in a year.
Lamens, ranked 73rd in the world, is a combative player who has improved sharply over the past year and is more than comfortable on the surface.
Earlier this month, she beat British number one Katie Boulter in the Billie Jean King Cup tie that Raducanu missed to “rest” her body after a packed start to the season.
Raducanu was often unable to cope with Lamens’ thumping forehand in the opening set but recovered from a break down – and saved three more break points in the ninth game – to drag her opponent into a tie-break.
Another measure of the 2021 US Open champion’s improved mentality has been her impressive recent record in these situations – and showed it again.
Petchey was sat in her box alongside Raducanu’s long-time ally Jane O’Donoghue, regularly offering praise and encouragement at crucial junctures.
Raducanu played more aggressively in the second set but also had to dig deep as Lamens tried to pin her back behind the baseline.
There were flashes of brilliance from the Briton, too, after she had adjusted to the fast clay conditions created by Madrid’s altitude.
A running forehand down the line and another thunderous winner piled on the pressure as Lamens failed to hold serve in a lengthy seventh game.
However, it was not a straightforward path to victory. Raducanu shakily lost serve for 4-4 before a frustrated Lamens wobbled again and allowed the Briton to secure another confidence-boosting victory.
“I needed to fight and pull through some really difficult moments,” Raducanu added.
“When your opponent is hitting great shots it is easy to get frustrated and think ‘oh my God, they’ve hit the line so many times’.
“But I had to reset and accept that she’s good, here for a reason and playing amazing tennis.”
