The theory that the BBC described as “melting tennis social media last week” came about after the U.S. Open announced the mixed doubles pairs — which also includes the all-American pair of old friends Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe and current tennis couple Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa — on June 17.

It has all the ingredients of a Richard Curtis summer hit: two remarkably good-looking leads in Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz (she of the magazine covers, he of the bullet-speed aces), a “meet-cute” over the tennis nets,