Patten proud after Wimbledon title defence comes to an end
The Manningtree star, 29, and Finnish partner Heliovaara fell to a battling three-set defeat against Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash in the quarter-finals.
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The all-British pair triumphed in a heart-thumping third-set tie-break as a 6-4 4-6 7-6(8) victory kept their hopes of emulating Patten and Heliovaara's exploits from last year alive.
The Court 2 clash was a thrilling watch throughout and Patten, who was unable to convert three match points alongside Heliovaara in the deciding set, hailed his opponents for another impressive grass-court display.
'It was a great match - the level was extremely high and there was some very, very good serving,' he said.
'That's what we expected from them - they've lost one match on grass this year and are playing some seriously good tennis.
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'They're very good all round players who play the same system as us and we know well.
'We knew it was going to be a real challenge – it was disappointing to not get over the line and every match you lose hurts a little bit.
'We'll take some time off and keep on trying.
'We knew it was difficult last year - we were well aware of the challenges and prepared as well as can.
'We can hold our heads high with how we played today.'
Glasspool and Cash were the third all-British pair Patten and Heliovaara encountered at Wimbledon this year, having also beaten Dan Evans and Henry Searle and Billy Harris and Marcus Willis in their opening two matches.
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That booked their place in the last 16 before scheduled opponents Jordan Thompson and Pierre-Hugues Herbert were forced to withdraw after Thompson, 31, suffered a back injury.
Fifth seeds Glasspool and Cash were what stood between Patten and a place in the semi-finals, but the defending champions were unable to battle past their in-form opponents.
They failed to convert three match points in the deciding set as the all British duo turned the tables to triumph in a nerve-jangling tie-break.
Patten is relishing some time away from the court and visiting his long-term girlfriend, Ellie, where she is based in America ahead of the US Open next month.
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'It's now onto the next one – I haven't been able to see girlfriend for a while now,' he added.
'I'll definitely be looking to take some time to go over as soon as I can, relax for a bit and be a normal person.
'I'm really looking forward to that – that's always the silver lining whenever you lose.'
PLEASE LEAVE IN FINAL PAR - For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website.
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