Heliovaara and Patten Claim Dubai Redemption
Last year’s final heartbreak in Dubai fades as Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten deliver a composed 7-5, 7-5 victory over Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic, securing their third title of 2026 and a climb to No. 2 in doubles rankings.
In the balmy Dubai night, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten stepped onto the court with last year’s ghosts hovering. The third seeds faced Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the ATP 500 final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, a chance to erase the memory of squandering four match points against Yuki Bhambri and Alexei Popyrin. They seized it with a 7-5, 7-5 win, their serves slicing through the humid air and volleys landing with precision, extending a streak to seven matches after Doha’s triumph the week before.
This victory marked their third title of 2026, following Adelaide’s hard-court grind, and propelled them to No. 2 in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. Arevalo and Pavic, former World No. 1s contesting their first final of the season, rose three spots to No. 6 despite the defeat, their heavy topspin rallies testing the winners’ resolve until the final points.
“As always in doubles, the margins are so fine,” Patten said. “There’s no room to get complacent. You go on highs and then very quickly, you [can] find yourself in a low. We’ll try to ride this one and extend it for as long as possible.”
Redemption sharpens net instincts
Heliovaara and Patten’s path to this crown traced back to 2025’s strong finish, with maiden titles at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris and the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals. That momentum carried into the new year, yielding 21 wins in their past 23 matches, a run built on adapting to hard courts’ skid and bounce. In Dubai, they mixed crosscourt returns with down-the-line poaches, disrupting Arevalo and Pavic‘s rhythm and turning defensive lobs into easy overheads.
The crowd’s energy swelled with each hold, the Finn and Brit feeding off the tension of their redemption bid. Patten’s net poaching forced errors in key moments, while Heliovaara’s deep second serves set up one–two patterns that neutralized Pavic’s forehand power. This wasn’t mere revenge; it was a tactical evolution, where last year’s over-eager volleys gave way to patient inside-out angles from the ad side.
Streak builds unbreakable partnership
Off-court friendship anchors their on-court synergy, as Heliovaara notes, turning the tour’s grind into shared momentum. They became the second team to claim three tour-level trophies in 2026, joining Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti, who triumphed in Auckland, Montpellier, and Dallas. Dubai’s grippier surface demanded adjustments—more topspin on approaches to keep balls dipping low—yet their adaptability shone, holding serve at crucial 5-5 junctures.
The opponents’ lefty slice returns and crosscourt winners flashed their pedigree, but Heliovaara and Patten’s consistent depth wore them down. As the final echoed with applause, the duo’s gaze shifted to upcoming challenges, from clay’s slower slides to grass’s quick cuts, where sustaining this form will test their mental edge.
“It’s a dream start to the year,” Heliovaara said. “It’s very nice to play with this guy, Henry. We’re great friends off court and everything seems to work well on the court, so I want to thank him and obviously our opponents, Marcelo and Mate. They were World No. 1s last year and they can play some really good tennis.”
With three titles already, their streak invites pressure, but the fine margins of doubles favor those who thrive under it. The Middle East swing has forged them into contenders, ready to chase more hardware across the tour’s unforgiving calendar.
