Cruz Hewitt has suffered heartbreak as he tried to follow in the celebrated footsteps of his father at Wimbledon, losing in a tight final of the boys’ tournament 24 years after Lleyton won the senior men’s event.
It was an agonising loss for the 17-year-old Sydney prospect Hewitt, who had been urged on by his dad on No.1 Court but fell just short after he had led 4-2 in the final set against talented young American prospect Jordan Lee on Sunday’s final day of the program.
Hewitt had looked on the verge of becoming Australia’s first winner of the junior men’s tournament for 15 years since Luke Saville.
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But qualifier Lee, at 16 the youngest boy in the event, roared back, coming also from a set down in a thrilling rollercoaster contest 4-6 6-4 7-5.
Cruz’s disappointment after the two-hour three-minute final was palpable as his parents Lleyton and Bec, and coaching team, in his players’ box, tried to encourage and console him afterwards, reminding him he had enjoyed a fantastic tournament, one in which he hadn’t dropped a set until the final.
Both he and Lee, who only turned 16 in May, looked like stars of the future as they locked into a tremendous battle but in the denouement, the lad from Florida proved the stronger as, serving to stay in the match a second time, Cruz double-faulted en route to being broken to love.
Ultimately, Cruz suffered the same fate as the last Australian boy to have made the final here. Alex de Minaur lost in the 2016 championship match but has since gone on to become one of the world’s top six players.
De Minaur had been hitting with the teenager over the week, while British break-out star, semi-finalist Arthur Fery, also practised with the youngster in what Cruz accepted at the presentation on court afterwards had been a great experience.
“It was just a great battle today,” said Hewitt, congratulating his young conqueror.
“It’s been a very special week for me, I’ve played some really good tennis.
“I grew up around this tournament, seeing my dad play here and it’s a privilege playing on any court here. It’s been a really good atmosphere all week.”
Hewitt has already spoken during his run of Wimbledon being his only tilt back in the juniors this year as he focuses on senior tennis.
He has been a regular on the third-tier ITF circuit already, with some excursions into the second-tier ATP Challenger — including in the lead-up to Wimbledon.
Currently ranked world No.606, Hewitt nabbed the second-best win of his career last month when he defeated world No.229 Edas Butvilas 3-6 6-4 6-4 at a grass-court Challenger event.
— with 7NEWS
