PARIS - UNC Asheville Men's Tennis alum
Henry Patten '19 and doubles partner
Harri Heliovaara finished runner-up at the 2026 French Open on Saturday (June 6). Despite the loss, the pair have climbed to the top spot in world doubles tennis, achieving the No. 1 world ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
The No. 2 seed in the tournament first dispatched Nuno Borges (Portugal)/Zhang Zhizhen (China) 6-3, 6-3 in the first round, before beating Fabian Marozsan (Hungary)/Mattia Bellucci (Italy) 6-1, 6-4 in the second round. The pair then defeated Evan King (USA)/Andre Goransson (Sweden) 6-3, 6-4 in the third round, before beating N. Sriram Balaji (India)/Marcelo Demoliner (Brazil) 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinal. The duo then punched their ticket to the final with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Quentin Halys of France, before falling in the final 6-4, 6-2 to top seed Marcel Granollers (Spain)/Horacio Zeballos (Argentina).
"Henry continues to amaze us and represent UNC Asheville brilliantly on the global stage," said Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone. "He is a Bulldog Champion and Leader who consistently strives for excellence in his professional career."
A 2019 graduate of UNC Asheville, Patten was an Intercollegiate Tennis Association ITA) All-American in doubles and a three-time Big South Conference Player of the Year. He was a four-time Big South Conference First Team All-Conference selection in singles play, and a three-time First Team All-Conference selection in doubles play. He was a seven-time Player of the Week selection, and a two-time Freshman of the Week selection. Patten also made an appearance in the 2019 NCAA Division I national tournament for both singles and doubles. Patten was also an ITA Scholar-Athlete in 2019. He and Olli Nolan also won an Oracle ITA Fall National Championship in 2018.