Wimbledon: Heliovaara and Patten Win Thriller to Advance

Heliovaara and Patten dig deep again to reach Wimbledon quarter-finals

Top seeds Heliovaara and Patten came from a set down to beat Pavlasek and Rikl 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 and advance to the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Heliovaara and Patten beat Pavlasek and Rikl 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 to reach last eight...

The pressure of being world No.1 is still there for Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, but the pair kept moving forward at Wimbledon 2026. They came from a set down to beat Czechs Adam Pavlasek and Patrik Rikl 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 and book a spot in the men’s doubles quarter-finals.

Their opening-round win in straight sets was anything but easy, and in round two the Finnish-British duo had to grind out another three-set victory over Mac Kiger and Patrik Trhac.

The third round brought fresh pressure for Heliovaara and Patten at Wimbledon this year as they dropped the opening set for the first time. They were broken in the third game, but hit straight back with a break in the next to level things up.

They looked to be building momentum even after missing two break points in game eight. But Pavlasek and Rikl struck again in the 11th game, then held to close out the set 7-5.

The top seeds responded the way you'd expect, breaking immediately to start the second set and jumping out to a 3-0 lead. From there it was a much smoother set, and that early break was enough to see them take it 6-3.

Pavlasek and Rikl took control in the final set with a break for 4-1, only for Heliovaara and Patten to respond. They broke back in game seven and drew level at 4-4.

Henry Patten & Harri Heliovaara grind out the WIN to reach the @Wimbledon quarter-finals 💪#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/x88QpnNYn9

— LTA (@the_LTA) July 5, 2026

The next four games all went with serve, forcing a 10-point tiebreak to decide it. Heliovaara and Patten led 4-3 before two straight mini-breaks put them 6-3 and then 7-3 ahead. Pavlasek and Rikl hit back with a break of their own to cut it to 7-6.

The top seeds held serve twice more to earn match point, and converted it on the Czechs’ delivery. They took the tiebreak 10-6 and the match, booking their spot in the quarter-finals.