Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, playing partners who once strengthened their bond over a pot of reindeer stew, have continued their stunning success by claiming the Australian Open men’s doubles crown.
The Finnish-British pairing, seeded sixth, outlasted third-seeded Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-7 (16-18) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in an epic final that carried on to just before 1.45 on Sunday morning at Rod Laver Arena.
It was a third grand slam final defeat for the Italian duo, who were beaten in the Australian and French Open deciders last year.
“What an amazing match,” Patten said at the trophy presentation.
“Second year in a row for you guys (Bolelli and Vavassori) but I know that you will be back.
“You showed such good fight and there shouldn’t really have been a loser of this match.”
Heliovaara and Patten only joined forces nine months ago, but can already boast two major titles after winning Wimbledon last year – beating Aussie pair Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell in the final after saving three match points – and also enjoying victories in Stockholm, Lyon and Marrakech.
The pair grew closer during a training block in Helsinki last October, where the Finn cooked his specialty reindeer dish for his British partner, and they’ve now underlined their status as one of the world’s best pairings.
“What a journey we’ve been on. It’s truly special to share the court with Harri,” Patten said.
“I wouldn’t like to do it with anyone else. Let’s keep going.”
The triumph was a full-circle moment for Heliovaara, who linked up with another Brit, Graeme Dyce, to win the boys’ doubles title at Melbourne Park in 2007.
The 35-year-old, who also teamed up with Anna Danilina to win the 2023 US Open mixed doubles title, thanked Patten for helping to bring about his latest success.
“It’s a team sport, doubles. The most important thing is find yourself a good partner and I’ve succeeded in that pretty well,” Heliovaara said.
“Not only on the tennis court but outside the tennis court we are such good friends.
“I think that’s keeps us close together on tennis courts and brings us titles like this. I’m super thankful.”
A marathon first set lasted 87 minutes and ended after midnight due to the longest tiebreak of the men’s doubles tournament.
The Italians saved a whopping 10 set points before converting the sixth of their own when Bolelli ripped a forehand winner down the line.
It was the first set the pair had won in a grand slam final after straight-sets defeats in their two previous appearances.
The second set was similarly tight, though brought to a faster conclusion when Heliovaara and Patten converted their first set point in the tiebreak.
Roared on by a small band of Finnish fans in a dwindling crowd, Heliovaara and Patten broke Bolelli’s serve early in the third set and held their own to seal the title.
The match lasted three hours and four minutes, having started after the women’s final on Saturday night.
Vavassori was only half-joking when he called on tournament director Craig Tiley to alter the schedule next year.
“Hopefully, next year you change the time of the doubles because I don’t think it’s good for doubles to have not so many people watching,” Vavassori said.
“But I think it’s the best tournament in the world for me, so I think you are doing an amazing job.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/tennis/wimbledon-champs-add-open-doubles-to-their-trophy-haul-c-17508167
