Two decades after Lleyton Hewittfought for the Australian Open crown, his son Cruz will compete in the qualifying draw. Cruz received the Australian Open qualifying wild card ten days after turning 16. The young gun will try to write history books in front of the home fans.
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If he passes three qualifying obstacles, Cruz will become the youngest player in the Australian Open main draw since, you guessed it, his father Lleyton! The former world no. 1 received the qualifying wild card at the Australian Open a month before his 16th birthday in 1997.
The 15-year-old presented his rich talent and defeated Andy Stewart, Michael Kratochvil and Mark Petchey en route to the main draw appearance. Hewitt dominated and took all six sets to add his name to the main action. The young gun lost his first Major match to Sergi Bruguera.
Twenty-eight years later, Lleyton's sonwill embrace the same path at a similar age. Cruz will wrap up his junior season right outside the top-100. The 15-year-old competed at the Australian Open in January and reached twosemi-finalsin Brisbane in the following weeks.
Cruz clinched theJ200 Sydney title in August and repeated that at the same site a week later, dropping one set in ten matches. Hewitt wrapped up the junior season at theJ100 Christchurch event in October, lifting his third title of the season.
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The Aussie could have finished in the top-100 but embraced professional matches in the closing weeks of the season. Cruz competed in the main draw of three Futures events in 2024 and tried to qualify for two Challengers.
He delivered two main-draw Futures triumphs and two in the qualifying matches at Challengers. Thus, the Aussiecollectedsix ATP points,standing as the third-best player born in 2008 on the year-end no. 1 list!
Cruz Hewitt's Australian Open debut
Lleyton Hewitt debuted at the Australian Open in 1997 on Court 3 at 15.Twenty-seven years later, he watched his 15-year-old son Cruz playhis first match of the junior Australian Open on the same court!
Hewitt faced Alexander Razeghi and experienced a 6-2, 6-3 defeat in an hour and 26 minutes.Cruz struggled behind the initial shot, losing almost half of the points and gettingbroken four times from seven chances presented to his rival.
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Razeghipresented reliable numbers behind the initial shot, dropping ten points and facing only one break point. The Aussie converted it, but it was insufficient to keep him in contention.Alexander suffered an early break at the beginning of the duel.
He served well after that and kept the pressure on the 15-year-old. The home favorite kicked off the duel with a break at love after the rival's double fault. Hewitt got broken at 15 in the second game and sprayed a forehand error two games later to find himself 3-1 behind.
Razeghi landed a service winner in the seventh game for 5-2. The American used the rival's mistakes in the next one, providing his third break and wrapping up the opener 6-2. Alexander made a push on the return early in the second set.
He fired a backhand crosscourt winner in the second game for a break and a 2-0 advantage. Cruz faced three break points in the fourth game, denying them and holding to reduce the deficit. The 15-year-old held in the sixth game but stood powerless on the return.
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The American grabbed the seventh game at love, moving 5-2 up and closer to the finish line. Alexander served for the win at 5-3 and held at love, showing Cruz the exit door.
Cruz's first main-draw professional win
Hewitt failed to qualify for the main draw at the M25 Traralgon Futures in February. He returned to professional events six months later, earning the main-draw wild card at the M15 event in Bali. The 15-year-old defeated world no. 993 Thijmen Loof 6-4, 6-4 for his first ATP point!
Cruz used the momentum from his back-to-back junior titles and achieved a milestone victory in Bali. The Aussie served at only 54% against the Dutchman. It was hardly an obstacle for Hewitt, who dropped six points behind the first serve and got broken two times.
The more experienced player needed more to stay competitive. Cruz took 45% of the return points and turned them into four breaks from as many chances, outplaying his opponent in the pivotal moments. The 15-year-old kicked off the action with a break at 15 in the first game of the duel.
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He provided two fine holds in games two and four for a 3-1 advantage. Thijmen struggled behind the initial shot in the fifth game, losing serve for the second time and pushing a teenager 4-1 in front. Cruz served for the set at 5-2 and suffered the first break.
The Dutchman held in the ninth game, taking three straight games and hoping for a turnaround. However, Hewitt held at 15 in game ten, clinching the opener 6-4 and gaining momentum. Cruz delivered another break in the third game of the second set.
The Aussie held at love a few minutes later, playing well and controlling the scoreboard. Loof bounced back and earned a break in game six, leveling the score at 3-3. They served well for 4-4 before Hewitt stepped in on the return in game nine.
A teenager secured a break at 15, building another advantage and serving for the win. Cruz left pressure behind and held at 15, celebrating his first main-draw professional win and his first ATP point at 15.
