Paris, June 4 (IANS) Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten moved within one win of a maiden French Open crown after another commanding display on Thursday, reaching the men’s doubles final.
The second-seeded Finnish-British combination defeated the French pair Quentin Halys and Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-3, 6-4 on Court Suzanne Lenglen, extending their unbeaten run through the tournament and booking their first championship match in Paris.
Already one of the standout doubles teams of the season, Heliovaara and Patten arrived at Roland Garros with titles in Adelaide, Doha, Dubai, and Madrid. Their latest victory keeps them on course for a fifth trophy in 2026 and their first Grand Slam title of the year.
The semifinal remained competitive in the early exchanges, with little to separate the two teams. However, the second seed capitalised on their first opening when Herbert surrendered serve with a double fault, allowing Heliovaara and Patten to seize control of the opening set.
The pair continued to dictate the tempo through strong serving and sharp net play. Heliovaara capped off the first set with a delicate volley before another lapse in Herbert’s serve handed the favourites an early break in the second.
Backed by a vocal home crowd, Halys and Herbert sought to mount a late challenge, creating opportunities to prolong the contest. But Heliovaara and Patten stayed composed under pressure, refusing to relinquish their advantage. Serving for the match, Patten showed no signs of tension. The Brit delivered a strong first serve on match point, and Heliovaara finished the job with a crisp volley at the net, sealing victory in one hour and 16 minutes.
The win sends the pair into their third Grand Slam final together. Having already lifted trophies at Wimbledon in 2024 and at the Australian Open in 2025, they remain unbeaten in major finals and now have the chance to reach another significant milestone in their partnership. For Patten, the final also offers the chance to become the first British men’s doubles champion in the Open Era at Roland Garros.
Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, the duo’s impressive run in Paris has already secured another reward, with both players set to share the ATP doubles World No. 1 ranking when the updated rankings are released next week.
In the final, they will face either defending champions Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos or the Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, who were scheduled to contest the second semifinal.
With confidence high and silverware already piling up this season, Heliovaara and Patten now stand one win away from adding the Roland Garros title to an already remarkable year.
–IANS
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