Patten proud after Wimbledon title defence comes to an end

South Wales Argus

10-07-2025

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.
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.
'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.
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.
'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.'
For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website.