Roland Garros 2026: Henry Patten & Harri Heliovaara reach first men’s doubles final in Paris
• 2 minute read
Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara booked their place in their first Roland Garros men’s doubles final with another commanding straight-sets semi-final victory.
The second seeds delivered another dominant performance on Court Suzanne Lenglen, defeating French duo and home favourites Quentin Halys and Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 16 minutes.
The win sends Patten and Heliovaara into their third Grand Slam final as a partnership, where they remain unbeaten in major finals. They will now look to add the Roland Garros title to their 2024 Wimbledon crown and 2025 Australian Open triumph.
They are set to face either top seeds Horacio Zeballos and Marcel Granollers or Italian pairing Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in Saturday’s final.
Patten will also aim to become the first British men’s doubles champion at Roland Garros in the Open Era.
Speaking after the win, the British star said, "It means so much to reach the final because we get to play in front of crowds like this.
“I know you were pulling for the other guys, but the atmosphere was amazing. Playing on courts like this, and on Philippe-Chatrier next, is an honour.”
The pair will hope to close out an impressive stint on the clay by lifting the trophy in Paris, and are guaranteed to climb to joint world No.1 when the ATP rankings are updated on Monday.
“It’s a dream come true to be in the final,” Heliovaara added. “We know our level has been very strong over the last nine months, but every day you have to prove that.
“We’re super happy to be in the final. One thing this win won’t take away from us is the No.1 ranking, which means a lot.”
There was little separating the two pairs in the opening stages of the match, but it was the reigning Madrid Open champions who struck first.
The second seeds raced to a 40-15 lead on Herbert’s serve before a double fault from the Frenchman handed them an early break. Patten then went on to seal a comfortable hold to extend their lead to 5-2.
Heliovaara sealed the opening set with a delicate volley at the net, before yet another double fault from Herbert handed the pair a 2-0 advantage in the second.
The two-time Grand Slam winning pair had the chance to close out the win on their opponents’ serve having dug up two break points at 3-5, but couldn’t convert their chances as the French duo held firm to flip the pressure onto Pattten and Heliovaara.
However, the Brit showed no signs of nerves when stepping up to serve for the match. He fired down a strong first serve on their third match point before Heliovaara finished the job with a clinical volley at the net, securing their place in a maiden Roland Garros final.
How to watch Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara in the Roland Garros men’s doubles final
You can watch Patten and Heliovaara in the Roland Garros men’s doubles final on Saturday 6 June live and exclusively on TNT Sports.
