Second seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten overcame Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 in 85 minutes to finish 2-1 in the John McEnroe Group at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. Heliovaara and Pavic reached the semifinal for the second consecutive year.
Arevalo and Pavic saved three set points in the 12th game. They went up a mini-break twice, but Heliovaara and Patten pulled back on serve both times. The Finnish and British team won five of the next six points to seal the tie-break 7-5. Heliovaara and Patten earned two breaks in the third and fifth games to win the second set 6-2. Arevalo and Pavic did not convert six break points.
Heliovaara and Patten are 2-2 in their head-to-head matches against Arevalo and Pavic. Heliovaara recorded his 200th tour level win.
“We both showed our greatest shots, our biggest shots, when it really mattered. We can be really proud about that. For the whole year, we’ve been waiting to meet those guys after Turin last year… What a match it was”, said Heliovaara.
Heliovaara and Patten will face Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the semifinal.
