Harri Heliövaara and Henry Patten have secured their place in the Wimbledon men’s doubles final after overcoming Thanasi Kokkinakis and Denis Kovacevic in a gripping semi-final.
The Finnish-British pair battled through two tight tie-breaks, winning 7-6(2), 7-6(8), to set up a clash with Arevalo/Pavic. Heliövaara noted they would now get to take revenge against Arevalo/Pavic, having played them two weeks prior.
A Hard-Fought Semi-Final Clash
The match on Court One was a high-level serving festival, with Kokkinakis and Kovacevic putting up a strong fight. Their opponents particularly kept Heliövaara and Patten under control with high-level serving, but it was not enough to prevent defeat.
Heliövaara and Patten forced a victory home against their determined rivals.
Strategic Preparation and Court One Atmosphere
Following a tiring quarter-final on Tuesday, both Heliövaara and Patten took a full day off on Wednesday for recovery. Heliövaara spent one night in an air-conditioned hotel room in the London heat to ensure proper rest.
By Thursday, the pair were back at the venue, facing the week’s hottest day with temperatures reaching up to 35 degrees. They carefully warmed up their shots around midday and were ready at three o’clock to take over the magnificent Court One, where a large audience had gathered, and the atmosphere was good.
Tie-Break Drama Decides Both Sets
The first set saw the match’s only break point opportunity for Heliövaara and Patten, which Kokkinakis saved with an ace. The opener was eventually decided in a tie-break, where Kovacevic committed a double fault at the start.
Heliövaara played an excellent point at the net and delivered a great return at 4-1, helping to seal the set before Henry Patten elegantly finished the tie-break with two aces.
In the second set, Heliövaara and Patten briefly held the momentum at the start, but their strong-serving opponents soon gained a better grip on their service games. Heliövaara had to save one break point at 1-2, and Henry Patten saved two set points at 4-5, pushing the set once again into a tie-break.
During the second set, aces were served at a furious pace into Heliövaara’s box, though he managed to get to a couple of balls in the tie-break. The second tie-break’s conclusion came through Henry Patten’s returns.
Kovacevic saved the first match point at 6-5 with an ace, but Patten’s brilliant backhand return at 6-6 secured a second match point. Heliövaara served for the second match point, but Kokkinakis played strongly and equalised.
Heliövaara’s ace then brought a third match point, which also did not yield a result when Kokkinakis’s second serve dropped on the service line and took a bad bounce. At 8-8, Henry Patten produced another great backhand return.
Finally, a fourth match point was converted when Kokkinakis’s backhand return sailed long, allowing Heliövaara and Patten to celebrate.
Heliövaara reflected that this match was quite different doubles compared to some of their previous encounters, but it remained constant that tight matches are always eventually decided in crucial situations. He noted they had to stretch to their best in the tie-breaks and truly earn the victory again.
The opponents did not give them bad service games, but Heliövaara explained that their experience in these contests meant the lack of breaks did not cause unnecessary stress. He further stated it is usually easier to win one or two return points in a tie-break than a whole break earlier in the set.