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,

Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu have joined forces for this year’s US Open mixed doubles. Raducanu, during her Eastbourne International campaign, talked about her relationship with the Spaniard.