Harri Heliövaara and Henry Patten are participating in the final tournament held in Turin.
21:07•Updated 21:30
Harri Heliövaara started his British doubles pair in Turin of Henry Patten with the victory of the tennis ATP final tournament. The duo defeated Spain in the first group match by Marcel Granollers and Argentina by Horacio Zeballos 7–6 (7–2), 6–4.
Heliövaara and Patten are placed seventh in the tournament, Granollers and Zeballos second.
In the second match of the group, Australia Max Purcelll and Jordan Thompson beat Holland by Wesley Koolhof and Croatia by Nikola Mektic.
Heliövaara described the match as a very good start in Torino’s climax.
– It is difficult to seek perfection, but we were close to it. It was proven that we belong to the top eight. Our passing game was very good, and we didn’t let the opponents break even in the match.
Matches are played indoors.
– As a Finn, you have to be happy when you play on indoor courts. We have enough experience playing there. The field is slower than in previous years, but that doesn’t matter. In doubles, the importance of passing is so great that on a fast court it easily turns into a passing contest.
Helövaara was interviewed by Helen Scott-Smith
Updated 21.30: Completed with Heliövaara’s comments