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The bare facts are that Carlos Alcaraz is through to the fourth round of Wimbledon and Frances Tiafoe is not, but that does not begin to explain the theatre that unfolded under Centre Court’s closed roof. The crowd hung on every ball in a match soundtracked by gasps and hollers, as the third and 29th seeds put on a show. Grown adults who, three hours earlier, had never seen Tiafoe hold a tennis racket found themselves roaring “Get him, Frances!” with both lungs, veins popping from their neck, urging the American to push the reigning champion further and further.
