Challengers review: Zendaya gives one of her most electric performances yet

But Challengers is a much cheerier affair, largely thanks to the presence of Chalamet’s Dune co-star Zendaya, who is every bit as sassy off the court as she is on it.

She plays Tisha, a rising star in the tennis world. Although, when we first meet her, she’s very much risen.

She and her husband Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) are seemingly living the dream, parenting their young daughter Lily in expensive five-star hotels and watching the money roll in as they participate in a glossy advertising campaign for Aston Martin, with their picture next to the slogan 'Game Changers'.

But underneath this luxury lifestyle lurk problems: Art is on a losing streak and, despite looking to complete a career grand slam at the US Open, losing his love for the game.

Tisha is a win-at-all-costs Type A personality ("Decimate that little b***h," she demands of her hubbie), and as we’ll see from a story that zips around in time quicker than a Federer backhand, she moved from playing to coaching at a certain point in her career.

When she advises Art to enter a local New York tournament, to play some journeymen and get his confidence back up, the plan backfires for the simple reason that Art’s old friend, Patrick (Josh O’Connor), is in the tournament.

Fleshing out their backstory, the film heads back 13 years, when Art and Patrick were doubles partners and Tisha was the hottest thing in the college tennis circuit.

Both fall for her, and after an amusing night swigging beer and enjoying a three-way kiss in a hotel room, Tisha cheekily says she’ll only give out her number to whoever beats the other in a match. So begins a love rivalry to match anything these two players have contested on the court.

When the story moves back to the present day, Patrick is down on his luck, without enough money to even pay for his motel room (he’s soon using Tinder to score a date and get a roof over his head).

What results is a film about friendships, how they can get trampled by love, and how life isn’t always about winning, despite how professional athletes are groomed to crush all-comers.

Best of all, it’s a neat peek into the world of professional tennis, something Hollywood has rarely bothered with (let’s forget that Paul Bettany-starrer Wimbledon, shall we?).

Guadagnino gets a real feel for the game, creating with his editor Marco Costa a dizzying series of tennis sequences (including one rally from the POV of the ball, as it’s smashed back and forth).

But really, it’s the film’s deft verbal volleys – largely delivered by the imperious Zendaya – that propel the film forwards.

Sadly, the indulgent final act doesn’t quite deliver, with tension draining from Art and Patrick’s courtside conflict, as Guadagnino stretches out the game interminably.

Yet, this aside, Challengers is a breezy film that will appeal to a wide audience thirsty for a sexy on-screen match up. The Crown’s O’Connor and Faist, who blew most off the screen in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, are both enjoyable to watch, though pale next to Zendaya, who gives one of her most electric performances yet.

Showing her full range, you can imagine directors will see her in a whole new light from now on. Game, set, and match.

Challengers arrives in UK cinemas on Friday 26th April.

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