Heliovaara and Patten seize Nitto ATP Finals triumph
Under Turin's arena lights, the Finn-British pair turns a round-robin stumble into championship dominance, shattering a British streak with precise serves and unflinching resolve.
In the echoing Inalpi Arena, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten stepped into the Nitto ATP Finals spotlight, their serves cutting through the tension to deliver a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski. This 80-minute masterclass marked their maiden team crown at the year-end event, avenging an earlier group-stage loss and snapping Salisbury's 14-match winning streak. As second seeds, they arrived assured after a semifinal dispatch of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, their Finn-British partnership now etched in the tournament's storied list.
Round-robin revenge fuels dominance
The path to this final amplified every mental edge, with Heliovaara and Patten channeling that round-robin defeat into sharpened focus. They faced no break points, their rock-solid serves blending with stunning passing shots that pierced the Brits' net rushes, often via inside-in angles from the baseline. This triumph improved their head-to-head to 3-2 against the duo, marking the eighth time in Finals history a team has flipped a group loss into championship glory.
Their season's 50-20 record, per the ATP Win/Loss Index, reflected hard-court mastery honed through titles at the Australian Open, Paris, and Beijing. On Turin's indoor surface, crosscourt returns disrupted Salisbury's volleys, while down-the-line winners exploited fleeting gaps, turning psychological pressure into tactical precision. Patten's chip returns evolved from the earlier matchup, creating openings for Heliovaara's one–two punch at net.
"It is hard to describe," Heliovaara said. "The whole week I have looked at the list of winners, with huge winners and I thought, if there was ever going to be my name on that, I am going to be so proud. To be there next to Henry is unreal."
Personal joys anchor professional highs
As the final points fell, Heliovaara dropped his racquet in a raw roar, the crowd's surge mirroring the week's building intensity, while Patten thrust his fist skyward. This victory layered triumph with off-court elation, as he had proposed to longtime partner Ellie Stone in Turin earlier that week, her support steadying him through the grind. Their poise contrasted the opponents' fray, with Salisbury's streak—built on 2022 and 2023 titles alongside Rajeev Ram—ending before a third chase, after missing 2024 qualification.
Skupski reached his first Finals final here, but the Brits closed their partnership at 46-22, including runner-up finishes at Roland Garros and the US Open in 2025. Patten's double win this week underscored how personal anchors fortify doubles' emotional demands, where partnerships demand trust amid relentless pressure. "The tennis is pretty good but the engagement was something special," he reflected. "It has been a complete dream for me. Ellie has been here supporting me all week. I am a very happy guy right now. I feel unbelievably lucky to have a partner like her and a partner like Harri."
Hard-court edge shapes rising legacy
Heliovaara and Patten's run highlighted doubles' tactical volatility on indoor hard, where their slice backhands and flat groundstrokes neutralized inside-out forehands, maintaining baseline control with minimal errors. The arena's swift tempo amplified their passing precision, pulling the Brits into crosscourt rallies that unraveled volleys into unforced faults. This assured play, from semis to final, transformed a strong season into a defining pinnacle, positioning the duo as forces to watch in future campaigns.
As they lifted the trophy, the emotional release hinted at deeper resilience, eyes already turning to defending this hard-earned glory amid evolving rivalries. Their blend of mental fortitude and surface-specific adjustments offers a blueprint for thriving in tennis's high-stakes finales, leaving Turin buzzing with the spark of their ascent.
