I think Lucia is pretty difficult even for that point in the game. After awhile I was barely able to win, but was "only" level 24. Sure she might have high stats and farming would've helped, but l think it has a lot to do with how fast she reacts and attacks, so you can get stuck in a loop where it's hard to do anything. Similar to the expert opponent in practice mode. I had a much easier time in the fight with Emerald afterwards.
However Lucia is easier in SFW mode since she still tries to rip your clothes off but can't, so she can't use her H attacks either. It just might take a little longer to win. Also I played again and got lucky enough to learn the Thrust and Pounce moves from the trainer which can help a lot. Still for the challenge fights it seems like you pretty much have to farm. Even the watch AI couldn't beat the first one.
Would've been good to know:
-Sometimes grabbing a knocked down opponent doesn't work like if they are about to recover (even if they haven't moved yet) or if you can hear them crying or their heart beating (have to wait a few seconds). If you try to grab too late or miss the hit box then you can get countered or even knocked down. But of course grabbing is usually no problem for the AI.
-The yellow space in the escape meter can be so small sometimes, and even if you stop it when it's in the yellow it doesn't always seem to work. In fact it seems to work better if you stop it at the start of the yellow range or even just before. Regardless you might be better off just letting the meter fill with auto escape turned on.