Cruz Hewitt has fallen agonisingly short of becoming Australia’s next junior Wimbledon champion, with the teenage prospect going down in a thrilling three-set boys’ singles final at the All England Club.
The 17-year-old son of former world number one and 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt was beaten 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 by American qualifier Jordan Lee after more than two hours on Court One.
For much of the afternoon it looked as though another chapter of the Hewitt family Wimbledon story was about to be written.
Cruz claimed the opening set 6-4 and carried the momentum of a stunning fortnight in which he had not dropped a set all tournament. The Australian teenager had swept through the draw with victories over four seeded opponents to become the first Aussie boy to reach the Wimbledon final in a decade.
But Lee fought back strongly in the second set before edging a tense decider 7-5 to deny Hewitt the title.
Watching on from the players’ box was father Lleyton, who won this very tournament’s junior title in 1997 before lifting the men’s trophy five years later. Throughout the match the pair shared familiar cries of “Come on!”, a trademark celebration that Australian tennis fans know all too well.
Despite the disappointment, Cruz was quick to put the achievement into perspective. “I think that little kid would be happy,” he said afterwards, reflecting on his childhood dream of one day playing in a Wimbledon final.
The run marked the best junior grand slam performance of his young career and appears likely to be his final appearance on the junior circuit.
Hewitt revealed after the match that his focus will now shift towards senior tennis and the challenge of breaking into the professional ranks.
“That would be the dream,” he said of one day earning a place in the main draw of the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
The world No.606 still has plenty of climbing to do before those opportunities arrive, but after a fortnight that included a Wimbledon final, a booming 200km/h serve and the attention of some of the biggest names in tennis, the journey suddenly looks a lot shorter than it did a fortnight ago.
Image: Stan Sport
