After two months of excitement and hysterical speculation it was all over in 51 minutes.

The duo of Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz, known for capturing the tennis audience’s attention with the excitement of teenage chatter, were eliminated in the first round of the US Open’s mixed doubles event.

It was Jack Draper, another Brit, who managed to oust them, teaming up with American partner Jessica Pegula, who lived up to their top-seed status.

Given the circumstances, their slow start wasn’t shocking: Alcaraz had just secured the Cincinnati title late Monday and arrived in New York by private jet at 1 am, hitting the court again by 4 pm.

However, as the game progressed, they managed to create some dazzling rallies, displaying chemistry akin to scenes from Breaking Bad. Post-match, they exchanged a warm hug, an intimate moment missed by Sky Sports cameras.

Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz were beaten in straight sets by the number one seed at the US Open

The pairing of Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula lived up to their billing in the commanding victory

Rumors of romantic ties have been unfounded and intrusive, yet it’s clear that the two share a good friendship and enjoy each other’s company.

As they exited, Raducanu whispered to Alcaraz, making them both laugh. On-court chemistry is crucial in doubles (many teams on the court appeared as if they hadn’t met before), and Raducanu and Alcaraz certainly perform best when sharing smiles.

Raducanu, in particular, beamed after pretty much every point – especially in the fifth game of the match when Alcaraz sent down four big serves and Raducanu finished off each with a volley.

As Raducanu held serve in the first game of the second set after a lovely rally, she raised her fist to the skies and a beaming Alcaraz waggled his finger in her direction.

The rally of the match – and the whole day – was when Raducanu and Draper waged a battle of Britain, ending with Draper hitting a lovely angled pass. Raducanu had totally given up the point when suddenly Alcaraz came from nowhere to retrieve the ball, Raducanu having to duck as he threaded a winner down the line. Utter brilliance, which Raducanu greeted by putting her hands to her head in disbelief.

But it was the squeaky-clean hitting of Pegula and the brutal aggression of Draper which carried the day. This was the first we had seen of Draper since Wimbledon; he has been nursing a forearm injury and it was heartening to see him looking so good on court.

‘I haven’t hit a ball yet,’ Pegula said to her team at 2-0. It was an exaggeration but Draper really had taken over the early part of the match.

Dragula were last night playing their quarter-final, chasing that $1million first prize.

The speculation about romantic involvement has been baseless and intrusive but there is no doubt these two are good friends who enjoy each other’s company

So, how was the first day of the event overall? Well there was, predictably, some shocking doubles on display as the singles players chanced their arm. Musetti/McNally vs Osaka/Monfils was a particularly ugly watch – they all just sat on the baseline and exchanged dreary, hopeless rallies.

But Arthur Ashe stadium was sold out – that is 23,771 fans to watch mixed doubles – and Louis Armstrong was open to the public for free. Jannik Sinner, as expected, pulled out after retiring with illness from his Cincinnati final against Alcaraz on Monday night, and that left a serious lack of star power but Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud were good value.

Amid all the big names, the stars of the day were Italian defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. The doubles specialists have been unremittingly critical of this event, describing it as a ‘profound injustice’ and played with a furious intensity, determined to show the world that singles class would be trumped by doubles nous.

They certainly did that. It was almost embarrassing to watch the way they ran rings around Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina, who were made to look ham-fisted compared to the sprightly Italians who shimmered across the net.

‘They are amazing players, we all know that,’ said Vavassori. ‘But the tactics in doubles are important.

‘We’re playing for all the doubles players that could not compete here.’