Bolelli-Vavassori, Australian Open dream fades. The Slam is only postponed

Melbourne, January 25, 2025 – The final of redemptions, of a match that became a river, slips out of Bolelli and Vavassori's hands right at the most beautiful moment. The Italian pair loses 7-6, 6-7, 3-6 against Patten-Heliövaara in the final act of the Australian Open doubles and must abandon the Slam dream, only postponed.

It doesn't go away'bitter taste in the mouth of the Azzurri after the missed opportunity right in Australia in 2024. A pair of true veterans triumphs, almost built on the story of revenge of the Finnish tennis player, forced to retire in 2013 and to take up a job as a ground steward at the airport of Helsinki for back pain, and then back thanks to some magical lumbar punctures against his very rare pathology. Heliovaara, with his British partner who has taken off the manager's clothes, in the meantime has also managed to win a Slam (Wimbledon), beating Bolelli and Vavassori in the first rounds.

La Italian coppia knows well how dangerous the opponents are. The aim is therefore to create a surprise effect, with many responses with the feet inside the field during the Anglo-Finnish service rounds with an immediate break in favour of the Bolognese and Turin players when Patten is serving. The Azzurri can count on greater solidity from baseline. Then it's yellow in the ninth game, when Vavassori commits two invasions at the net (the first with a foot, the other with the racket) on as many practically closed points, the opponents resort to 'slow motion' in both cases and manage to place the counterbreak. The turning point for a set that becomes a river (an hour and a half in total) that leads to over twenty minutes of tie break in which the Italians place the blow on the sixth available set point. A total of ten were conceded to Patten and Heliovaara: all cancelled out by Bole and Wave who close in the lead.  

No emotional breakdown though for the English and Finnish and the match continues on the thread of thebalance also in the second partial. Heliovaara is very foul but the Azzurri also lack the killer instinct to close the points at the net. Only one break point is cancelled and the service rule leads straight to another tie break that could decide a final played on the wire. This time Bole and Wave's opponents are as cold as ice and tie the match at the first available point.

In Australia, the third set begins at 6:3 a.m. The Italian pair feels the blow of the comeback and loses their serve almost immediately, with their opponents gradually increasing their level and escaping to the final XNUMX-XNUMX.