Briton Henry Patten and his Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara fell to a straight-sets defeat in the French Open men’s doubles final, although they will still be crowned joint world No 1 for the first time in Monday’s updated rankings.
The second seeds were bidding for their third major title together and to go one step closer to completing the career grand slam, after winning Wimbledon in 2024 and the Australian Open last season.
They made serene progress through the draw and did not drop a set en route, sealing a place in their first French Open final on Heliovaara’s 37th birthday.
But they were distinctly second best in Saturday’s final, losing to top seeds and defending champions Marcel Granollers of Spain and Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos 6-4 6-2. It made for their third grand slam title together, after the French Open and the US Open last year.
British pair Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski lost last year’s men’s doubles final on Court Philippe-Chatrier, meaning Fred Perry and Pat Hughes’ record as the last British men to win the Roland-Garros title, in 1933, still stands.
It was a match dominated by poor serving, with three breaks of serve in the first set, while Patten and Heliovaara failed to hold serve in the second until 5-1 down.
The top seeds broke early in the first set and again immediately in the second, then again for a 3-0 lead. Patten and Heliovaara pulled a break straight back as the Brit smashed away a second serve return, but immediately conceded serve again.
Granollers and Zeballos raced through a service hold to love to immediately put the pressure back on their opponents as they served to stay in the championships at 5-1 down.
Better serving from Heliovaara and a deft slice net volley, with the ball simply dying on the clay, helped them improve their deficit.
But Granollers was superb on serve when it mattered and his powerful groundstrokes proved too much for Patten and Heliovaara, with the Brit thwacking the ball of the frame of his racquet and into the crowd to concede the match.
Nonetheless Heliovaara and Patten will be elevated to the top ranking on Monday, while British men’s doubles is in something of a golden age.
Patten and Finland’s Heliovaara won the ATP Finals title late last year, beating Skupski and Salisbury in the final, while five Brits made the semi-finals and the year-end world No 1s were another British pair, Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool.
