University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Dogs Day Out Episode 3: Henry Patten – From Asheville to Wimbledon
07.14.2022 | General, Men's Tennis
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Playing sports is common for people across the globe as they grow up. A high percentage of those athletes likely had dreams of playing their respective sport at the highest level. Very few people ever reach that level, but a former Bulldog recently did just that. Late last month, former UNC Asheville men's tennis player Henry Patten (Class of 2019) competed in the Gentlemen's Doubles at the prestigious Wimbledon Championships.
In this installment of "Dogs Day Out", we hear from Henry himself, some of his former Bulldog teammates, and UNC Asheville Head Men's Tennis Coach Tom Hand as they reflect on Henry's time as a Bulldog and his appearance at Wimbledon. This includes a behind-the-scenes look at Henry's rare opportunity to compete on one of the world's biggest stages in the sport of tennis.
Background on Henry
One of the most decorated student-athletes of all-time at UNC Asheville, Patten was a three-time Big South Player of the Year winner, winning the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) 2018 Fall National Championship with Oli Nolan. Patten and Nolan were ranked as the number one doubles pairing in the nation for three consecutive polls by the Oracle Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings before closing out 2019 ranked fourth nationally. Individually, Patten was a nine-time Big South Men's Tennis Player of the Week honoree, achieved a national ranking as a singles player and posted a record of 60-9 in singles action during his time in Asheville.
Wimbledon Selection
Patten and his double partner Julian Cash, a former collegiate player himself at Mississippi State and Oklahoma State, learned on June 14 that they qualified for the Wimbledon doubles field after claiming the title at the Ilkley Trophy the weekend prior.
"We knew that we were in the conversation beforehand," Patten said before he and Cash got notified. "We put together a pretty decent run going into it. We finished as semi-finalists in the first tournament we played in together before winning the next three."
Playing at Wimbledon would be a big deal regardless of the player's home country but it held special significance for Patten being a native of the United Kingdom.
"I've been coming here for years, I've worked here, I've watched matches here, so it was amazing to finally play here," Patten said of being able to play at the historic venue. "Never imagined I'd be playing here so just trying to take it all in and enjoy it as much as possible."
Matchday Recap & What's Next
Patten and Cash would take the court at Wimbledon on June 29. The unseeded duo faced Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, falling to the No. 13-seeded duo in a hard-fought three sets. The fairly new duo of Patten and Cash battled for every single point, including forcing a first-set tiebreak. Gonzalez (Mexico) and Molteni (Argentia) took set one narrowly (7-6, 7-5 in the tiebreak) and had to battle to the end in each of the next two sets before claiming them 6-4, 6-4 for the victory.
"We're just trying to take it all in, build on it, and keep going," Patten said afterward. "We're looking forward to getting back on the road, playing more tournaments and representing the Asheville Bulldogs."
Based on his track record as a collegiate player and his success after leaving Asheville, Bulldog fans should have little doubt that Patten will continue to represent UNC Asheville well as he chases success at the highest levels.
Episodes
Behan, Thompson compete for Asheville City
Saving the Virginia Spirarea with Rosie Dickson of women's tennis
#ALLinAVL
In this installment of "Dogs Day Out", we hear from Henry himself, some of his former Bulldog teammates, and UNC Asheville Head Men's Tennis Coach Tom Hand as they reflect on Henry's time as a Bulldog and his appearance at Wimbledon. This includes a behind-the-scenes look at Henry's rare opportunity to compete on one of the world's biggest stages in the sport of tennis.
Background on Henry
One of the most decorated student-athletes of all-time at UNC Asheville, Patten was a three-time Big South Player of the Year winner, winning the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) 2018 Fall National Championship with Oli Nolan. Patten and Nolan were ranked as the number one doubles pairing in the nation for three consecutive polls by the Oracle Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings before closing out 2019 ranked fourth nationally. Individually, Patten was a nine-time Big South Men's Tennis Player of the Week honoree, achieved a national ranking as a singles player and posted a record of 60-9 in singles action during his time in Asheville.
Wimbledon Selection
Patten and his double partner Julian Cash, a former collegiate player himself at Mississippi State and Oklahoma State, learned on June 14 that they qualified for the Wimbledon doubles field after claiming the title at the Ilkley Trophy the weekend prior.
"We knew that we were in the conversation beforehand," Patten said before he and Cash got notified. "We put together a pretty decent run going into it. We finished as semi-finalists in the first tournament we played in together before winning the next three."
Playing at Wimbledon would be a big deal regardless of the player's home country but it held special significance for Patten being a native of the United Kingdom.
"I've been coming here for years, I've worked here, I've watched matches here, so it was amazing to finally play here," Patten said of being able to play at the historic venue. "Never imagined I'd be playing here so just trying to take it all in and enjoy it as much as possible."
Matchday Recap & What's Next
Patten and Cash would take the court at Wimbledon on June 29. The unseeded duo faced Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, falling to the No. 13-seeded duo in a hard-fought three sets. The fairly new duo of Patten and Cash battled for every single point, including forcing a first-set tiebreak. Gonzalez (Mexico) and Molteni (Argentia) took set one narrowly (7-6, 7-5 in the tiebreak) and had to battle to the end in each of the next two sets before claiming them 6-4, 6-4 for the victory.
"We're just trying to take it all in, build on it, and keep going," Patten said afterward. "We're looking forward to getting back on the road, playing more tournaments and representing the Asheville Bulldogs."
Based on his track record as a collegiate player and his success after leaving Asheville, Bulldog fans should have little doubt that Patten will continue to represent UNC Asheville well as he chases success at the highest levels.
Episodes
Behan, Thompson compete for Asheville City
Saving the Virginia Spirarea with Rosie Dickson of women's tennis
#ALLinAVL
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
Thursday, June 18
Wednesday, March 18
Wednesday, March 11
Friday, February 06