Former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt marked a successful comeback to the tennis scene following a nearly six-year hiatus by teaming up with his 16-year-old son, Cruz, for an impressive win. The father-son duo dominated their opponents, Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov, with a convincing 6-1, 6-0 victory in just under an hour.
Given a wildcard entry to the main draw of the NSW Open in Sydney, a Challenger event, Hewitt and his son made the most of the opportunity. Hewitt, recognized by his signature backward cap, and Cruz displayed a solid performance, saving all four break points they encountered and swiftly advancing to the quarter-finals.
Although Hewitt, a two-time Grand Slam titleholder, retired from singles competition in 2016 and from doubles at the 2020 Australian Open, his skills were on full display during the recent match. The 44-year-old appeared comfortable on the court at the Ken Rosewall Arena, securing victory with a decisive net winner.
Since stepping away from professional play, Hewitt has remained active in tennis as the captain of Australia’s Davis Cup team and a devoted supporter of his son Cruz, who is making strides in his own tennis career. Cruz, a rising talent, has participated in junior Grand Slam tournaments and is starting to make a name for himself in the Challenger circuit.
Despite facing some setbacks on the court, including a loss in the men’s Australian Open qualifiers earlier this year, Cruz has shown progress at the Challenger level in recent weeks. Notably, he achieved his first Challenger level win in Brisbane against world No. 192 James McCabe before bowing out to Wu Tung-lin in a hard-fought match.
Currently ranked at a career-high position of No. 759, Cruz continued his momentum by securing another victory in Brisbane before exiting in the second round. He recently triumphed over fellow Australian Omar Jasika and suffered a narrow defeat to Matsuoka Hayato before teaming up with his father for a successful doubles run to reach the quarter-finals.
Their next challenge awaits as they are scheduled to compete against another Australian duo, Calum Puttergill and Dane Sweeny, in the upcoming match. The exciting journey of the Hewitt father-son team continues to captivate tennis enthusiasts as they navigate the competitive landscape together.