WONDER WALL

WORLD No.733 Oliver Tarvet was acclaimed as a "huge British wall" of talent after earning a fairy-tale tilt at defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.

- by MIKE WALTERS

If the 1,000-1 long shot from St Albans takes down the five-time Grand Slam winner in the second round, he won't just be getting away with mortar.

It would be the most sensational upset of all time on the All England Club's hallowed lawns.

Qualifier Tarvet stormed through his first-ever Grand Slam match with a demolition of Switzerland's Leandro Riedi on intimate Court No.4.

On this evidence, Tarvet, who plays in the States under the collegiate system, is going to climb the rankings faster than Spiderman can scale a tower block.

Riedi was impressed, saying: "He was a wall, a huge British wall, and some of his passing shots were mind-blowing. If he carries on playing like this, you are going to hear a lot more about him.

"He looked like a top-50 player, and if he can play like that against Alcaraz, it will be tough to beat him."

On Transport for London's train set, gaps between Tubes on the District Line were longer than queues for bathroom break at Glastonbury.