Cruz Hewitt has suffered heartbreak while trying to follow in the celebrated footsteps of his father at Wimbledon, losing in a tight final of the boys’ tournament.
It was an agonising loss for the 17-year-old Sydney prospect, who had been urged on by his father, Lleyton, 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 overnight.
Hewitt had looked on the verge of becoming Australia’s first winner of the junior men’s tournament for 15 years since Luke Saville, but qualifier Lee, at 16 the youngest boy in the event, roared back, coming also from a set down in a thrilling roller-coaster contest 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Cruz’s disappointment after the two-hour and 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 had not 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 and 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.”
AAP
