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In the first round of the Madrid Open, Dutchwoman Suzan Lamens defeated Emma Raducanu to reclaim the WTA Tour.

The British number two won 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 on outdoor clay for the first time in almost a month while competing for the first time in almost a month.

Before immediately regaining control of the set, Raducanu broke into each set and won the match to take the lead.

She won for the first time in almost three years on outdoor clay.

“I’m pleased that I didn’t try to make too many excuses or complain too much to myself or my box,” Raducanu told BBC Sport.

After reaching last month’s Miami Open quarter-finals, Raducanu decided to skip a 10-day training period in Los Angeles.

The world number 49 was there watching as she defeated Lamens in her first clay-court match of the season while also working with Mark Petchey, who is informal coaching her there.

In the second round, Raducanu, 22, will face Marta Kostyuk, the 24th seed in Ukraine.

The other two Britons’ first-round matches on Wednesday had mixed results.

Sonay Kartal, the third British player, defeated Jaqueline Cristian 6-2, 7-5, but Francesca Jones, who lost to Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, is out.

In her first clay-court match of the year, Raducanu frequently talked about using “resilience” to win victories and needed to show it again.

Lamens, who is ranked 73rd in the world, has developed skillfully over the past year and is more than comfortable on the field.

After a hectic season, Raducanu missed out on “resting” her body by defeating British number one Katie Boulter earlier this month.

In the opening set, Raducanu frequently struggled to control Lamens’ thumping forehand, but she recovered from a break down and saved three more break points in the ninth game to halt her rival.

Her impressive recent performance in these circumstances, and showing it once more, has helped to improve the 2021 US Open champion’s mentality.

Petchey frequently offered praise and encouragement at crucial moments, sat in her box with long-time friend Jane O’Donoghue, who had a long relationship with Raducanu.

In the second set, Raducanu had to play more aggressively as Lamens attempted to pin her back behind the baseline.

After she had adjusted to Madrid’s fast-paced clay conditions, the Briton also had flashes of brilliance.

In a protracted seventh game, Lamens failed to hold serve, and a running forehand down the line and a thunderous winner added more pressure.

However, the way to victory was challenging. Before a frustrated Lamens stuttering once more, Raducanu shakily lost his 4-for-4 serve, giving the Briton yet another confidence-boosting victory.

“I had to fight and survive some very challenging situations,” Raducanu continued.

When your opponent is hitting great shots, it’s easy to become enraged and wonder, “Oh my God, they’ve hit the line so many times.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan has said he was “worried” about returning to snooker, fearing he would “implode” and “have a meltdown” in his first competitive match since January.

O’Sullivan, 49, beat Ali Carter 10-4 on Wednesday in the first round of the World Championship, a competition he has won seven times.

However, his participation in the tournament was only confirmed late last week after he went three months without playing competitively following an incident at the Championship League in January in which he snapped his cue and threw it in a bin.

Asked if there were times in the past week where he thought he had made a mistake about returning to snooker, O’Sullivan said: “Yeah, totally.

“I thought ‘what am I doing coming here, exposing myself, [potentially] imploding out there, having a meltdown?’ All that went through my head. I told [sports psychiatrist] Steve Peters that and he said ‘I’m coming – I will get you through the first match’.

“I was quite a bit scared coming and playing. It’s a daunting venue to play at anyway but it’s about getting on the bike again and playing and I’m really proud that I’ve done that.

In Tuesday’s first session against two-time Crucible finalist Carter, neither player was at their best, with it seemingly finely balanced at 5-4 to O’Sullivan.

But on Wednesday, ‘The Rocket’ was in sensational form, winning all five frames and not letting Carter score a point in four of them.

O’Sullivan made breaks of 59, 117, 74, 123 and 131, but in the post-match news conference stressed he was trying to “rebuild” his technique after losing faith in his ability.

He said: “I couldn’t even watch myself play as I could see what was wrong. I just couldn’t correct it and every time you make a change you think ‘this is terrible’.

“I’ve changed my alignment, changed certain things. I had lost all connection with the cue, the timing had gone, the touch had gone, feeling had gone. Years and years of that mounted up and it got to the point where I couldn’t play and it got too much.

Four seeded players, including world champions Kyren Wilson and Neil Robertson and last year’s runner-up Jak Jones have been eliminated from O’Sullivan’s half of the draw.

Chinese qualifier Pang Junxu is his opponent in the second round, although O’Sullivan said he enjoyed his Crucible return because he had not placed any expectations on himself.

“This game can humble you so many times,” said O’Sullivan. “To play one good session. It was a nice feeling and I did enjoy being out there.

“I didn’t feel too nervous because my expectation levels were maybe just to get a few frames and see where we go. I didn’t feel pressure and normally when I come here with a half-decent game I feel pressure more as it is a chance to go deep [into the draw], but on this occasion I wasn’t expecting to do much.

Carter felt O’Sullivan would claim an eighth world title if he could maintain the form he showed on Wednesday.

“No question, no-one can live with that,” said the world number 18. “He could’ve had 10 years off and still come here. He is a freak natural, that’s why you love to watch him – he played fabulously well.

“When the opponent is potting all the balls every mistake is highlighted and you just have to sit and watch and hope. He looks like he is in a good place and he is the man to beat.”

John Parrott, the 1991 world champion, speaking on BBC Two, added: “There should be a sign in the foyer which should say ‘Quiet please, genius at work’.

“We use the word ‘genius’ in sport with people like Lionel Messi and players like Tiger Woods in his pomp. This boy is in that [bracket]. It’s been over an extended period as well, and when he plays the cue ball sings.

British tennis had a “record surplus” of nearly £50 million at the Wimbledon Championships last year.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) received $ 49.853 million last year as a result of a contract that grants The All England Club (AELTC) the ability to give its governing body 90% of its profits each year.

The annual report states that despite a wet championship, the business kept the LTA’s budget at a record.

AELTC’s financial statement for the year ending July 2024 also reveals a slightly higher profit (£54.32 million) and a £406.507 million increase in turnover.

Players have long fought for a larger share of the revenue made by the four Grand Slams, despite the fact that prize money has doubled in the last ten years.