Rennae Stubbs has ruthlessly shot down Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz 's hopes of glory in the revamped mixed doubles event at the US Open this year. In an apparent dream partnership, the two former champions at Flushing Meadows will team up for the tournament, forming part of a star-studded field.

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,

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.