Harri Heliovaara/Henry Patten remain perfect in Nitto ATP Finals debut | ATP Tour

Matching Report

Heliovaara/Patten remain perfect in first Nitto ATP Finals

The seventh seed under Purcell/Thompson, improves to 2-0 in the Mike Bryan Group

November 12, 2024

Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten maintained their red start to the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday, when the Finnish-British pair defeated Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson 7-6 (3), 7-5.

Heliovaara and Patten took control of a tight contest at the first break, winning six of seven points at 1/2 to advance. After getting a break to love in the fifth game of the second set, they looked set to win comfortably, but a rare service game from Patten at 5-4 allowed Purcell and Thompson to claw their way back into the contest.

The British lefty didn't have to wait long to redeem himself. In the next game, he fired a winner down the line in a crucial decider to get another break to serve. From there, Heliovaara worked his way to victory for 96 minutes in which he and Patten hit 11 aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Now 2-0 in the Mike Bryan Group, Wimbledon champions Heliovaara and Patten are on the brink of sealing a semi-final spot in their team's first appearance in the prestigious season finale. Their place in the last four will be confirmed on Tuesday evening in Turin if Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos beat Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic, or if Koolhof/Mektic take down Granollers/Zeballos in three sets.

With their latest victory at the Inalpi Arena, Heliovaara and Patten jumped one place to sixth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. They also took a 2-1 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Purcell and Thompson. Their previous victory against the Australian duo came in the tough Wimbledon final in July.

Tuesday's loss leaves US Open champions and fifth seeds Purcell/Thompson with a 1-1 record so far in Turin. They will face top seeds Granollers/Zeballos in their final group game on Thursday.