From the Land of the Sky to London. A former UNC Asheville athlete is making headlines after winning at Wimbledon this past weekend. Henry Patten and his partner Harri Heliovaara defeated the Australian team of Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson 6-7 (7), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (11-9) in a nail-biting men’s doubles match.
What makes this win even sweeter is that Patten and Heliovaara were unseeded — which means they weren’t ranked in the top 16 teams by the organizers — making this the first unseeded team win since 2014. Watch the highlights to see the duo emerge victorious.
Patten is one to watch in the international tennis scene, so let’s get to know the former Bulldog a bit better. The 28-year-old Brit began playing for UNC Asheville in 2016, where he picked up three Big South Player of the Year titles and was the NCAA’s No. 1 ranked doubles player, before going pro in 2020. This has been a banner year for Patten, racking up some of his career’s biggest titles, including at the Grand Prix Hassan II and Lyon Open alongside Heliovaara.
