Patten and Heliovaara clinch historic first French Open final

British player Henry Patten and his Finnish partner, Harri Heliovaara, have advanced to the men’s doubles final at the French Open, edging closer to winning their first Grand Slam title as a team. The pair secured their spot in Saturday’s championship match with a commanding 6-3, 6-4 victory over the French pairing of Quentin Halys and Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Maintaining an unbeaten record throughout the tournament in Paris, Patten and Heliovaara have not lost a single set. Their success guarantees that they will rise to the top of the ATP world rankings as a doubles team.

Reflecting on the milestone, Patten expressed the significance of the achievement. "It means a lot to us," he stated. "I wish it meant more to the wider tennis world, but to us it's everything that we work towards."

He added, "I join a long list of other Brits who have also done it, so it's amazing to now be in their company and join them as an ATP world number one. It's an incredible achievement for me."

If they prevail on Court Philippe Chatrier on Saturday, Patten will become the first British man to win the men’s doubles title at Roland Garros in the Open era. They will compete against either the top-seeded Spanish-Argentine duo of Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, or the fifth-seeded Italian pair of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.

Heliovaara, who recently celebrated his 37th birthday, remained upbeat about the occasion. "It's not a bad birthday if you've started on Suzanne-Lenglen Court and enjoy playing tennis. That's what I love the most in life outside of family time," he said.

This tournament represents a quest for the third Grand Slam title for the duo and their first on clay surfaces, following their wins at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships and the 2025 Australian Open. The team has already claimed four ATP Tour titles this season, including their inaugural Masters 1000 title on clay during the Madrid Open last month.

In related action from the mixed doubles final, Italian top seeds Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori successfully retained their French Open crown. The pair defeated the Canadian-American combination of Gabriela Dabrowski and Evan King 4-6, 6-3, 10-4, securing their fourth joint Grand Slam title.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-06-04 17:47:18 UTC