Defending champions Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara began their men’s doubles title defence with a hard-fought victory over British duo Dan Evans and Henry Searle.
Briton Patten and Finland’s Heliovaara prevailed 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 as they chase a third major triumph at their fifth slam as a pairing.
They won the Australian Open in January after claiming their first doubles title together at Wimbledon 12 months ago, having only joined forces in April last year.
They could face another all-British pairing in the second round, as they wait to see whether Marcus Willis and Billy Harris can overcome Alexander Bublik and Flavio Cobolli.
Men’s top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic were also among the first-round winners, beating Laslo Djere and Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4 6-2.
It took Patten and Heliovaara one hour and 20 minutes to end the resistance of Evans, who celebrated his first Wimbledon singles win in four years on Tuesday, and teenager Searle.
Excellent serving provided the foundation for their victory; they did not face a single break point in their 11 service games, conceding just eight points in those games.
Evans and Searle did well to limit their opponents’ opportunities.
But, after falling short in the first-set tie-break, Evans struck the net with his racquet in frustration after the 2024 winners were presented with the only break point they required in set two to end the contest.
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