Emma Raducanu faced another setback in her 2025 campaign as she fell to former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčíková in the second round of the Korea Open. The British No. 1’s loss comes after she chose to skip Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals to focus on improving her ranking.
The defeat marks another missed chance for the 22-year-old to build momentum in what has been a challenging season filled with ups and downs.
How Did Emma Raducanu Perform in the Korea Open?
Raducanu’s week in Seoul began with a tough opening match against Jaqueline Cristian. The British star needed two hours to overcome the Romanian player 6-3, 6-4 after coming back from 3-1 down in both sets. The match had been delayed from Tuesday to Wednesday due to rain, adding to the challenging conditions Raducanu faced.
Against Krejčíková, Raducanu started well by taking the opening set 6-4 and looked in control when she raced to a 5-2 lead in the second set. The World No. 33 had three chances to close out the match – one when serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set, and two more match points during the dramatic second-set tiebreak. However, Krejčíková saved all three match points and won the tiebreak 12-10 to force a deciding set.
Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of the Korean Open after losing a near three-hour battle against Barbora Krejcikova 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ZsEuOXOSNG
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) September 18, 2025
Raducanu’s challenge completely fell apart in the third set. After the physical and mental toll of the second set, Krejčíková dominated the decider 6-1. The Czech player won five straight games to seal a 4-6, 7-6 (10), 6-1 victory in nearly three hours.
MORE: Emma Raducanu Blames Sudden Play and Persistent Delays for Her Tearful Meltdown in Seoul
Raducanu’s 2025 Season Follows Similar Trends
This season has been marked by inconsistency for Raducanu, holding a 26-18 win-loss record in 2025. She reached the semifinals at the Washington Open, her best result of the year, but has struggled to maintain that level. The Korea Open loss means Raducanu will drop 48 ranking points as she failed to defend her quarterfinal appearance from 2023.
Raducanu’s season has included notable victories, such as reaching her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal at the Miami Open, where she defeated Emma Navarro and Amanda Anisimova. However, early exits have been more common, including first-round losses at Singapore, Indian Wells, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. Her decision to skip the Billie Jean King Cup Finals to focus on ranking points has not yet paid off as hoped.
MORE: Emma Raducanu Gives an Explanation After Controversial Billie Jean King Cup Snub
Seeing their favourite star struggle on court, many fans voiced their concerns over Raducanu’s performance on social media. Some suggested more work under her new coach, whereas others suggested playing in smaller tournaments to build momentum.
One fan on X analyzed Raducanu’s mistakes and gave positive feedback on how she can improve before the season ends. They wrote, “Failed to take ample chances to close out the match in the 2nd set & never recovered. A lot of work to do if Raducanu wants to finish a decent year in the top 30.”
That third set disappearing act from Emma Raducanu will not please Francisco Roig. Failed to take ample chances to close out the match in the 2nd set & never recovered. A lot of work to do if Raducanu wants to finish a decent year in the top 30… https://t.co/ZT5jKDICjg
— Uche Amako (@UcheAmako) September 18, 2025
An X user took shots at the 2024 Wimbledon Champion while acknowledging Raducanu’s brutal loss. “what a brutal loss by Raducanu. Had the match on her racquet on 2 different occassions in the 2nd set, n just cant finish Krejcikova off 🙁 Barbora is sooo damn awkward, ya gotta feel for Emma.”
@TennisUpdates25 what a brutal loss by Raducanu. Had the match on her racquet on 2 different occassions in the 2nd set, n just cant finish Krejcikova off 🙁
Barbora is sooo damn awkward, ya gotta feel for Emma.
— rick marsonet (@RMarsonet) September 18, 2025
Another fan remembered Krejčíková’s similar performance against Taylor Townsend at the US Open, where she was down a set, then won the second in the tiebreak, and then easily clinched the third one. They wrote, “this is how she beat townsend too in the us open just weeks ago im crying😭😭,” expressing sorrow.
this is how she beat townsend too in the us open just weeks ago im crying😭😭 https://t.co/XR60kKV1ZF
— 📛 (@lqvball) September 18, 2025
One fan from the Reddit tennis community praised Krejčíková while pointing out Raducanu’s weaknesses, writing, “Raducanu had the lead, but frankly, this was always on Barbora’s racket. Whenever she locked in, there wasn’t much Raducanu could do. Raducanu needs to figure out how to beat players who can ballstrike at the level Barbora can if she ever wants to be a top 10/20 player.”
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Despite the loss, another Reddit user embraced the positives from the match, stating, “I don’t think the old Emma would stand a chance against Barbora.”
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An X user had a suggestion for Raducanu that might improve her consistency. They wrote, “Emma Raducanu should play a 250 no shade just to build back confidence brick by brick.”
Emma Raducanu should play a 250 no shade just to build back confidence brick by brick
— Nico (@Nicotenniss) September 18, 2025
One Reddit user shifted the conversation from the on-court performances to the tournament draws, writing, “Raducanu does seem to get tough draws a lot lmao she will forever be making amends with the draw Gods after that USO runs. Babs early, draws Sabalenka R2 all the time too.”
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Following her disappointing exit from the Korea Open, Raducanu will be looking forward to making a strong comeback and claiming her first WTA 1000 title at the China Open next week. Reaching deeper rounds at the tournaments is important for her to maintain her ranking if she wants to enter the Australian Open as a seeded player next year.
