Brit Henry Patten wins men's doubles at Wimbledon
Henry Patten Makes History At Wimbledon
On July 13, 2024 at 7:53 PM
Henry Patten has made history as the third British player to win the men's doubles title at Wimbledon. He and his partner, Harri Heliovaara from Finland, defeated Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson in a thrilling match, with a final score of 7-6(7), 6-7(8), 7-6(9).
In an exciting end to the match, Patten and Heliovaara managed to save three match points during the tiebreak sets, ultimately winning their first Grand Slam together.
The victory marked the end of an impressive tournament for the unexpected pair, who joined forces at the beginning of the year. Along the way to the final, they defeated Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic, winners of the French Open, and then triumphed over defending champions Neal Skupski and Michael Venus in the semifinals.
Purcell and Thompson, who had defeated the top-ranked team in their semifinal match without losing a set, quickly took a substantial 6-1 lead in the tiebreak of the first set. However, Patten and Heliovaara fought back valiantly to fend off six set points. With Patten and Heliovaara just one point away from securing the set at 7-6, the Australian pair maintained their composure and ultimately won the tiebreak 9-7 to clinch the first set.
Patten and Heliovaara were in a tough spot when they reached championship point in the second set, as the score was 6-5. However, they managed to hang on and push through to a tiebreak.
The end of the set foreshadowed the intense tiebreak that followed, where the unexpected duo fought hard to save two more championship points and ultimately won with a score of 10-8.
In this year's French Open, Patten reached the third round, which was his best performance in a Grand Slam before the tournament in south west London. However, his performance in the final did not match his previous experience at this level.
His performance at the net was excellent the whole time, and his winning shot on the third point to seal the championship was especially impressive, earning a loud cheer from the audience.
In the third set, just like in the first two sets, both pairs held their serves until they reached a deciding tiebreak, where the goal was to reach 10 points first. After playing for almost three hours, Patten took charge in the tiebreak, helping him and his Finnish partner defeat the Australian team and win the match. The Centre Court crowd gave them a standing ovation for their outstanding performance.
Information from Reuters was used in the making of this report.
