"Have things become so desperate that we have to call ANY Raducanu match notable?" - Tennis fans criticize WTA for hyping up Emma Raducanu's lukewarm Korea Open opener

Emma Raducanu will compete at the Korea Open as the sixth seed and will be up against Japan's Moyuka Uchijima.

The 19-year-old suffered a massive drop in the rankings following her opening-round defeat at the US Open and dropped out of the top 80. She reached the last 16 of the Slovenia Open the week after the US Open.

After the draw for the 2022 Korea Open was made, WTA Insider tweeted about notable first-round matches and included Raducanu's match against Uchijima as one to look out for.

Several fans were baffled with the Brit's match against the Japanese being considered a notable one and gave their thoughts on it.

"What, exactly, is “notable” about Raducanu–Uchijima? Have things become so desperate that we have to call ANY Raducanu match notable?" one fan wrote.

Another fan stated that Fruhvirtova's match to be more notable considering her recent entry to the top-100 and excellent form this season.

"The need to promote future tour stars is understandable, but Raducanu- Uchijima is not a flashy matchup. I find Fruhvirtova-Wickmayer more remarkable, the Czech has just entered the top-100 for the 1st time at 17 years old and the German was top-12," the fan's tweet read.

Here are some more reactions from fans:

Emma Raducanu has won 14 out of 31 matches so far this season

Emma Raducanu has had a disappointing season so far

Raducanu has had a disappointing 2022 so far, winning only 14 out of 31 matches since beginning her season in Sydney. The 19-year-old reached two quarterfinals at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and, more recently, the Citi Open.

Raducanu recently did a short interview at the Incheon Airport, where she said that her best friend is from Korea and that Korean food is her favorite.

"Yeah, first time in Korea but you know I've heard so much good things about it. My best friend is from Korea, she got me into a lot of K-dramas. Korean food is sure my favorite. Because my mum grew up in China, it's got a lot of Korean food as it's quite close to here. So yeah, looking forward to seeing it for myself," the Brit said.

Emma Raducanu will look to beat Moyuka Uchijima and seal her place in the second round of the Korea Open. Here, she could face either Linda Fruhvirtova or Yanina Wickmayer.