Glasspool/Heliovaara Move Into Maiden ATP Final In Marseille
Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara are into their first ATP Tour doubles final after a confident victory over Matthew Ebden and Matt Reid, 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday at the Open 13 Provence.
Glasspool, of Great Britain, and Heliovaara, of Finland, linked up at the end of last season and reached the final in their first tournament together at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Maia. Their success continued in 2021, with Glasspool and Heliovaara reaching three finals (all Challenger-level) and lifting the trophy at the Gran Canaria Challenger event.
They’ve been in fine form in Marseille as well, dropping only one set en route to the final. Glasspool and Heliovaara, who are unseeded, took down wild cards Petros Tsitsipas and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening round. The British-Finnish duo was pushed to a Match Tie-break in their biggest test of the week against the top seeds Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski but prevailed 2-6, 6-4, 10-8 in the quarter-finals.
They wasted no chances, and converted all four of the break points they created against Ebden and Reid. Glasspool and Heliovaara combined for nine aces, and fought back from a 1-2 deficit in the second set to seal the victory in 52 minutes.
Glasspool and Heliovaara will face Sander Arends and David Pel in the Marseille final. The all-Dutch team advanced after a 6-1, 7-6(4) victory over Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow on Friday.