Tennis | Harri Heliövaara reaches French Open final, will become world No. 1

Finnish tennis star Harri Heliövaara celebrated a French Open doubles final berth on Thursday, alongside his British partner Henry Patten. The duo triumphed over the French pair Quentin Halys and Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the semifinals with a score of 6-3, 6-4.

This significant win not only secures their place in the final but also guarantees that Heliövaara and Patten will ascend to the world No. 1 ranking in the ATP doubles tour next week. Heliövaara marked his 37th birthday on Thursday, adding to the celebratory mood. "The final is a dream come true for us," Heliövaara stated in a court interview. "We have been playing at a high level for the past nine months, but every day we have to start from scratch, zero-zero. The same applies to the final."

He emphasized the importance of their new ranking, adding, "Our world number one spot will not be taken away from us. It means a lot to us." Heliövaara becomes the second Finnish player to reach the world No. 1 doubles ranking, following Henri Kontinen, who achieved the same feat in 2017. Heliövaara, who was named Finnish Sports Personality of the Year in 2025, has had a strong season, earning $672,785 (approximately 579,000 euros) in prize money so far, with more to come from the French Open.

The winners of the doubles final will receive 600,000 euros, while the runners-up will earn 300,000 euros. Heliövaara has never won the French Open before; his best previous performance in Paris was reaching the quarterfinals. The men's doubles final at Roland Garros is scheduled for Saturday at 12 p.m., with live broadcasts on TV5 and HBO Max.