Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten began their title defence at the Nitto ATP Finals by overcoming Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos 6-3, 5-7, 10-4 on Sunday in Turin.
The top seeds and World No. 1s needed a dominant display in the Match Tie-break to defeat the first-time qualifiers and move to 1-0 in the Todd Woodbridge Group, ATP Tour reported.
“We enjoyed being on the court,” Heliovaara said when asked about returning as the defending champions.
“I felt like before almost every serve, I was taking it all in. Of course, there were nerves and expectations, but I think we handled it very well and stayed focused,” Heliovaara said.
According to Flashscore, Heliovaara and Patten kicked off their championship defence in Turin at the ATP Finals by defeating Brazilians Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos with a scoreline of 6-3, 5-7, 10-4. They looked to justify their top seed status by racing into an early lead.
Handing the Finnish and British duo an early break and a 3-0 advantage, Luz and Matos failed to capture a single point during their opening service game. The rest of the opening set comfortably went with serve, meaning the reigning champions took it 6-3.
ATP Tour said that Luz and Matos, who captured ATP Masters 1000 trophies in Montreal and Cincinnati this year, found their footing during a fiercely contested second set to force a decider.
Heliovaara and Patten underlined why they are the team to beat this week by responding emphatically in the Match Tie-break. Charging out to a 7-1 advantage, the Wimbledon champions broke serve three times across the opening four opportunities.
Although Luz and Matos tried to fight back, the deficit remained at six points when Heliovaara and Patten earned a match point to wrap up the 6-3, 5-7, 10-4 win.
Last week, Heliovaara and Patten secured the ATP Year-End Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours for the first time. The achievement capped a remarkable 2026 season in which they captured five tour-level titles.
The top-seeded pair will continue their bid for a second consecutive trophy in Turin on Tuesday. They will face either Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic or Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti.
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