
Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten turned missed opportunities into a memorable comeback Saturday, when they claimed their second major title at the Australian Open.
The Finnish-British duo squandered 10 set points in the opening set, yet dug deep to defeat Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-7(16), 7-6(5), 6-3 after three hours, four minutes.
"What an evening," Patten said in relief during the trophy presentation. "What an amazing match. For Harri, what a journey we've been on. It's truly been special so let's keep it going."
CHAMPS DOWN UNDER 👑
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 25, 2025
Heliovaara & Patten take the championship in Melbourne 🏆#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/Rad2nYHpHX
Heliovaara added: "Could I have done it without you, Henry? I don't think so. It's a team sport in doubles. The most important thing is to find yourself a good partner and I've succeeded in that. Not only on the tennis court, we are such good friends. I think that's what keeps us close together on the court and brings us titles like this."
Heliovaara and Patten held three consecutive set points on return at 6-5, 0/40 in the opening set before Bolelli and Vavassori tallied five straight points and forced a tie-break. The thrilling first set lasted 87 minutes.
"I lost count how many set points we have, and that doesn't happen often. Usually I'm pretty good with math," Heliovaara said. "I told our coach, Calvin, I went to approach him during the set break when they took a toilet break, and we can go talk to [our] coach. I said to Calvin, 'I still believe we are the better team on court'.
"Sometimes it just doesn't go your way. We had break points on five of their service games, and they just managed to get out of almost everything."
However, the sixth seeds earned tie-break revenge in the second set, sending the match into a decider. They built upon their momentum by earning a key break in their opening return game of the third set, racing to a 3-0 lead and rarely looking back. The lefty Patten served out the championship, fighting off two break points before sealing the trophy.
Heliovaara and Patten won last year’s Wimbledon title in what was their first major event as a team. They claimed four tour-level trophies in 2024 and reached the Nitto ATP Finals semi-finals.
"I think it's boring that it comes down to a lot of practice. We play a lot of tennis, and we're always in those competitive situations. That's even when we're practising," Patten said. "I've said it before, but I have full faith and knowledge that Harri is going to absolutely compete his heart out every single point until the end of the match, and I think he thinks the same of me as well, no matter what the situation is."
Bolelli and Vavassori were on a nine-match winning streak entering the final, having won the ATP 250 in Adelaide to start the season. The Italians leave Melbourne as runner-ups for the second consecutive year.
Did You Know?
Heliovaara is the first Finnish player in history to win multiple Grand Slam men’s doubles titles. Patten is the third British player in the Open Era to win the Australian Open men’s doubles title (Jamie Murray, Joe Salisbury).