Henry Patten, former UNC Asheville tennis player, wins Wimbledon men’s doubles

The top-ranked men’s tennis doubles players are back in the winner’s circle at the All England Club in London after winning the Wimbledon crown on July 11.

Henry Patten from Great Britain, who was also a star at UNC Asheville, and his partner, Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, dispatched El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo and Croatia’s Mate Pavic 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3) on Centre Court.

Champions at The Championships, once again 🏆

Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten claim their second Gentlemen’s Doubles Trophy after defeating Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 7-6(4), 7-6(3) on Centre Court 🇫🇮🇬🇧#Wimbledonpic.twitter.com/FMlrbcFi0F

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2026

The duo, who also won Wimbledon two years ago and the 2025 Australian Open, have now racked up three Grand Slam titles, despite pairing up only at the start of 2024.

On the second championship point, Patten drove a left-handed ace right down the middle, and collapsed on the grass court in jubilation, while Heliovaara completed the celebration with a forward roll.

“I owe Harri my career. When I started with Harri, he took a chance on me. It might be the best decision he’s ever made!” Patten said after the match. “Our whole team who travel with us, our friends, family, and my fiancée especially who can’t be here today, she deserves a special mention.

“This is surreal. When we won the first title, we didn’t know if we would experience this again, and we feel so lucky to be out here.”

The victory was a measure of revenge for Patten and Heliovaara, who were beaten by Arevalo and Pavic in straight sets at the Queen’s Club Championships last month.

The match was a masterclass in big shots and steady play: both teams held serve, and neither team forced a single break point. But Patten and Heliovaara were clutch on tie-breaks during their championship run, winning set tie-breaks in three of the tournament’s matches.

Patten graduated from Asheville in 2019, where he was a three-time Big South Player of the Year and finished with a 60-9 singles record.

As a senior in the fall of 2018, Patten and doubles partner Oli Nolan won the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships. The pair would be ranked No. 1 nationally for three polls by the Oracle Intercollegiate Tennis Association, before falling to No. 2 for most of the spring.

Patten became the first Bulldog to reach the NCAA Tournament when he was a junior, advancing to the round of 32 before falling to Tennesse’s Timo Stodder.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Henry Patten, former UNC Asheville tennis player, wins Wimbledon men’s doubles