Former World No. 1 watches tennis prodigy son crash out of Australian Open qualifying for second year in a row

Cruz Hewitt’s wait to qualify for a Grand Slam main draw will continue after a crushing Australian Open exit.

The 17-year-old was beaten in the first round of qualifying at Melbourne Park for the second year in a row.

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Hewitt was dispatched 6-3, 6-3 by the USA’s Michael Zheng on Tuesday at the ANZ Arena.

His parents, former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt and actress Bec Cartwright, were amongst those in the stands watching on.

However, the Australian teenager was punished for 37 unforced errors compared to Zheng’s 14 as the match lasted just 76 minutes.

The American will now face fourth seed Tomas Barrios Vera in the second round on Wednesday ahead of the main draw beginning next week.

Following the match, the world No. 174 said: “There’s not much more I could ask for, I’m super excited.

“This is what you work for in these full stadiums. I still had a lot of fans cheering for me, but even if the fans were cheering against me, it’s still an unbelievable experience.

“He (Hewitt) returned really well on the games that he broke me. He was doing a good job attacking my second serve, but I just kept calm and tried to take it one point at a time.”

Meanwhile, it is the second year in a row that Hewitt has fallen at the first hurdle in qualifying for his home Slam.

He was also handed a wildcard entry 12 months ago, then aged just 16.

His debut appearance in 2024 ended in a straight sets defeat to Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia.

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Basilashvili went on to qualify for the main draw, where he suffered a first round exit.

Who is Lleyton Hewitt?

As for Hewitt, he will be hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps as he continues his fledgling tennis career.

Hewitt Sr. made his first Grand Slam appearance at the 1997 Australian Open as a 15-year-old.

He went on to win 30 singles titles during his career, including two Grand Slams.

Alongside his US Open and Wimbledon triumphs, his best performance in Melbourne saw Hewitt reach the final in 2005.

However, he was ultimately beaten by Russia’s Marat Safin in four sets.

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His son has already featured in the junior events at all four Grand Slams, despite being yet to make his main draw debut in the men’s singles.

Hewitt reached the second round of the boys’ singles at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open in 2025.

He also already has an ITF World Tennis Tour doubles title to his name, having won the M25 Tamworth event alongside Jesse Delaney in September.

It came seven months after his sole singles final at M25 Launceston, where he was beaten by compatriot Jason Kubler.