Heliovaara/Patten win Australian Open men's doubles after an epic final
Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten won their first Australian Open on Saturday, beating Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the final (6-7, 7-6, 6-3) after three hours of play.
After a 25-minute tie-break in the first set (18-16), in which Bolelli/Vavassori saved ten set points, Heliovaara and Patten won a decisive set in a second tie-break (7 points to 5).
In the third set, the Finn and the Briton broke again from the outset, and the match was settled at 2 a.m. local time.
This is their second Grand Slam title after winning Wimbledon last year.
Henry Patten will climb to No. 3 in the world rankings on Monday, while his partner Harri Heliovaara will be ranked just behind him at No. 4 in the ATP rankings.
Australian Open