Harri Heliövaara and Henry Patten are very difficult to win at their normal game level, writes Sakari Lund of Sports.
Sakari Lund athlete journalist
Harri Heliövaara and Henry Patten They have shown now that last summer’s Wimbledon victory was no harm if anyone was thinking about it now.
On Saturday there will be another Grand Slam final in Australia’s open. In the semi -finals, a high -end German pair fell in a tough match Kevin krawietz / Tim Pütz.
The cooperation between Heliövaara and Patten began last April. It immediately started with an amazing winning streak in slightly smaller tournaments, for example, for Masters tournaments, the two-time ranks of the duo had no point.
Now the most amazing statistics applies to the success of the couple’s Grand Slam. Heliövaara and Patten play their fourth common Grand Slam competition, and there has been exactly one loss.
In the French Open, the duo had to withdraw from the race after two wins due to the injury of Heliövaara. It will not be marked in the loss column. In Wimbledon, they celebrated a memorable championship. In the US Open, the only defeat came and now the finale is ahead.
So in the biggest races, the winning rate is staggering. What makes Heliövaara and Patten such a good pair? It has often been asked about them. The answer is usually that players complement each other well and the chemistry also works.
They are important things. It is definitely a good thing that the game styles of the doubles pair match together and that the players get along well.
However, these things are not just enough, but at that level, the personal characteristics of the players must be top -notch. And so is it.
Henry Patten is a product of a British four -game school. Britain is made in a quadripuru Louis Cayer With the leadership of top -notch doubles coaching, which has been enjoyed by Heliövaara Lloyd Glasspool roll.
Patten has proven to be a great four player. In the doubles, feed and return play a key role. The long, left -handed Patten feed is very effective, but he also restores really well. The online game and, in fact, all aspects of the game are in order.
However, it should be noted that Patten began to achieve success only with Heliövaara. Heliövaara is an equally important part of the equation. His strengths have been returning and online, but the Helsinki resident has also been able to develop his supply lately. It is no longer a weakness, but a weapon.
So the situation is that the two have little weaknesses that could be hit. On a good day – and even on a normal day, they are very difficult to win. Of course, a bad day comes sometimes, but not very often.
Saturday is the Australian Open Final, with an Italian pair Simone Bolelli / Andrea Vavassor. Heliövaara and Patten won them in Wimbledon on their way to the championship, but lost to the Beijing finals, even though the match went there for a long time under the control of the Finnish-British duo.
It would not be a surprise if we were able to follow Heliövaara’s famous ventilation again on Saturday.