Suzan Lamens finds her stride after years of near misses

Editor’s note: This month, we’re highlighting the players set to leave their mark in 2025, with standout performances and stories worth following.

Suzan Lamens had tried -- and fallen short -- eight times to reach a Grand Slam main draw. Now, the 25-year-old Dutchwoman is skipping the qualifiers altogether.

After a standout season on the Hologic WTA Tour, Lamens, now ranked No.87, will make her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2025 Australian Open as a direct entry. A well-earned step forward for a player whose career climb has been anything but linear.

Lamens credits a surprising source for helping her shift her perspective: Netflix’s “Break Point.” Watching the struggles of top-ranked players reminded her that no matter the level, the challenges -- and the drive to overcome them -- are universal.

“When I was watching the documentary … that shows that even when you're Top 10, you still have struggles, and you still have expectations that you want to reach,” Lamens said when wtatennis.com caught up with her at the tail end of 2024. “That’s what’s helping me, to know it’s the same on the higher level as well.

"I get motivated also by stories of other sportsmen, but also in different sports. Just to see that other athletes, they all have also tough stories and struggles they went through. It's very motivating to know that you're not the only one, and you can get through it as well."

This year has been one of steady progress for the Dutch No.2. Lamens began 2024 ranked No.207 and made her first big move in April, capturing her first WTA 125 title on the clay courts of Oeiras, Portugal.

The road wasn’t smooth from there. She won just 10 of her next 25 matches, a stretch that tested her resolve. But Lamens kept grinding, determined to prove her rise was no fluke.

“After [Oeiras], it was kind of a struggle,” she said. “I think [Osaka] was one of the first tournaments that it was again better than before, which really gave me confidence.”

Indeed, it was October’s WTA 250 Kinoshita Group Japan Open where Lamens revitalized her season. On the hard courts of Osaka, she played seven matches, dropped only one set, and won her first Hologic WTA Tour singles title. That performance cracked her into the Top 100 for the first time -- and she’s stayed there since.

Now, as Lamens prepares for her first Grand Slam main draw in Melbourne, she’s embracing a game that combines her strengths with a fresh approach.

“Playing defensive, which I’m really good at, I can move very well,” she said. “But now [I’m] also playing more offensive and attacking the ball more. And staying calm in tough situations … I have more clear plans of what I should do on court.”

Lamens’ story comes full circle with her connection to Dutch standout Kiki Bertens, who now captains the Billie Jean King Cup team. Lamens has been a star player for the Netherlands this year, going 6-0 in singles, including a win over Jelena Ostapenko.

With the 2025 season on the horizon, Lamens is focused on building on this year’s progress.

“I have a ranking that I can play my first Slam main draw in Australia, which is really nice,” she said. “It would be nice in the next five to 10 years that I can just keep playing the main draws, and win even higher tournaments. Getting good results against good players, also. And yeah, getting higher up the rankings.”

More quick hits:

• Lamens started playing tennis at 6 years old alongside her parents, who played recreationally. She also did gymnastics, "but when I went to high school, I had to choose because both sports was too much. ... I was not very flexible, but I did have a lot of strength, so I was better for tennis."
• Lamens is a bookworm. "If I find a good book, I get really lost in reading and I can spend hours like that. … Now I'm really into thrillers. I like if there are a lot of plot twists which are unexpected. But also some romance, I like also."
• Any particular pre-match music she enjoys? "It depends on what I'm in the mood for, and it's just songs I like at the moment that I listen to," said Lamens. "But I do like Fred Again a lot, too. He has some good songs to get hyped up."
• In her younger years, Lamens enjoyed watching Bertens and Dominika Cilbulkova "because she was very aggressive and pumped, and I liked her energy a lot." She also enjoyed following ATP legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal -- "I think everyone did!" she said, laughing.
• As far as active players she enjoys watching, Lamens picks World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, "because she has, like, good energy on the court. I wouldn't say we have a very similar game, but she's always hyped, she's fired [up], she screams and she shows herself, which I really like."