Cruz Hewitt, son of the Aussie tennis great, has followed in his dad’s footsteps with a major professional win.
Cruz is the son of former world number one Lleyton Hewitt and, at just 14 years old, he’s already making a name for himself as a rising star.
Cruz secured his first ever pro win on Sunday in the first round of qualifiers at the Darwin Tennis International, a 3-6, 4-6, 10-5 thriller over 25-year-old Brian Tran. The teen followed it up with another impressive win, 6-3, 6(4)-7, 10-3 over 21-year-old Jerome Iaconi in the second round.
He unfortunately fell short in the round of 32 on Tuesday afternoon, suffering a 3-6, 1-6 loss against 24-year-old Jesse Delaney in the third round of qualifiers.
Asked how he felt about getting his first win in the pros, the youngster was relaxed and, in true teen fashion, appeared most excited about missing school.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” he said, per the Herald Sun.
“I’m pretty stoked on getting that win because I had to come from behind. I was fired up to be honest … It’s cool getting to go to different places like here (Darwin) and it’s a lot of fun, but I came here to test myself at this level against some older players and see how I go.
“I also get to miss school today because I won, so that’s even better.”
With his coach off in Sweden and his dad with the Australian team at the David Cup in Europe, Cruz was supported court-side by his aunt and cousin.
“I spoke to (Lleyton) on the phone and he was pretty happy and stoked that I won,” Cruz said.
Lleyton was spotted supporting Cruz at the IMF quarterfinals in Sydney last month. He was dressed casually in a black hoodie, jeans and a cap, and couldn’t have looked prouder as he watched his son play.
Cruz, though he lost the match, looked like the spitting image of his dad as he worked the court.
Asked in Darwin whether he was a backwards or front-facing cap kind of guy, Cruz said he was neither.
“I do put it (cap) backwards sometimes, but recently I’ve been wearing a headband,” he said.
The elder Hewitt qualified for the 1997 Australian Open aged 15 years and 11 months, the youngest in the tournament’s history. He went on to win the 2001 US Open and 2022 Wimbledon.
With a 33-16 record as a junior, Cruz looks on track to become a star in his own right. The Hewitt family recently relocated to the Gold Coast, reportedly so the youngster could be closer to world-class training centres and kickstart his burgeoning career.
Get in touch — chloe.whelan@news.com.au