"When the crowd is on our side, we love it" – Henry Patten credits home support after reaching Wimbledon men's doubles third round
• 3 minute read
Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara continued their quest for a second Wimbledon title with a win in the second round of the men’s doubles.
The two-time Grand Slam champions came through three tie-break sets to win 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 7-6(7) against American duo Mac Kiger and Patrik Trhac.
The former Australian Open champions have gone from strength to strength this season – picking up an ATP 250 title in Adelaide, two 500 titles in Doha and Dubai and then claiming their biggest of the season at the Mutua Madrid Masters.
The pair have also made final appearances at Miami, Roland Garros and on the grass at the HSBC Championships just a couple of weeks ago.
“A big part of the British doubles culture is that we really pride ourselves on playing our best at the end of matches and important moments,” Patten said, when speaking about how they fought back from 7-4 down in the third set tie-break.
“Often when doubles matches are so close, that's really what makes a difference. So we were both kind of repeating that to ourselves. and almost trying to speak it into existence."
Their successful season has helped build the partnership up to the top-ranked pairing in the ATP rankings, with the British, Finnish duo becoming joint world No.1s for the first time in their careers after their run to the final in Paris.
The Championships marks the first time Patten and Heliovaara have been the top seeds at a major tournament and, with that, comes an added layer of expectation as the pair everyone else in the draw is chasing.
“Obviously, we're the favourites in any match, but we're also well aware that anyone that's playing at Wimbledon is a very, very capable tennis player. And there are lots of extremely good doubles players.
“I know those two very well (Kiger and Trhac) and they kind of proved why they were in the second round of Wimbledon, the biggest tournament in the world.”
On their way to their first grass court final of the season at The Queen’s Club, they took out compatriots David Stevenson and Marcus Willis as well as reigning Australian Open champion Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison. They missed out on the silverware to fourth seeds and long-term pairing Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavic 6-2, 6-4.
However, the duo are looking for more success on the grass here in south west London and are enjoying playing in front of the British crowds.
“I actually thought that the crowd maybe helped us in the end. We’re a more experienced pair that are used to those kinds of crowds and that kind of noise.
“It's the best (playing in front of a British Crowd). I mean, we play what, like, two, three weeks in front of a British crowd at home, so we like to make the most of it.
“When the crowd is fully on our side, we love it. Absolutely love it.”
The top seeds battled through a tight opening set, missing three set points in the final game before finally edging ahead with the only mini-break of the tie-break to take the set at the third attempt.
The Americans responded in the second-set tie-break, finding the decisive advantage to level the match. A tense deciding set followed, with seven consecutive love holds sending the contest into a 10-point match tie-break.
The Americans established an early lead, but the British-Finnish pairing fought their way back into contention when it mattered most - winning the final four points in a row to seal a hard-fought victory.
Patten and Heliovaara's second-round victory bore a striking resemblance to their 2024 Wimbledon final triumph over Australian's Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell, with the pair once again coming through three tight tie-break sets.
That memorable victory secured their maiden Grand Slam crown and marked the start of a remarkable rise that has since seen them win a second major title at the 2025 Australian Open and rise to the summit of the world rankings.
“I think we're both really proud - our results have been great, but we've also managed our relationship quite well. We have a great understanding of each other, and luckily for us, our values and goals are aligned.
“You know, we've experienced these milestones together, you know, the first Grand Slam, world number ones, we've been lucky enough to experience those highs together for the first time."
Patten and Heliovaara will take on Czech duo Adam Pavlasek and Patrik Rikl in the third round on Sunday. You can watch the match on BBC iPlayer and catch up on all the British results from Wimbledon here.
