Cruz Hewitt announces himself on ATP Tour as 17-year-old Aussie talent seals DC Open breakthrough win

17-year-old Cruz Hewitt continues to go from strength to strength. The son of two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt has not only debuted on the ATP Tour, but gone on and won his opening match 6-3, 6-4 against Marcos Giron. The huge breakthrough win signals the sign of things to come from the very bright and talented Aussie.

Hewitt came into the tournament with a slice of fortune, but all from his own form on court. He got a wildcard for qualifying, and made the most of it. Dusan Lajovic and Zachary Svajda were both defeated via retirements. Hewitt was ahead in both matches and the favourite to go on and win but that extra rest bite may have come in crucial when taking on Giron.

A much more senior threat the other side of the court, Hewitt did not buckle under the pressure with the occasion not getting to him. Dropping just six points on his first serve, Hewitt did not concede a single break point throughout the entire contest.

While the door was firmly shut in Giron's face, Hewitt capitalised with some breaks of serve of his own. He was firmly on top in the opening stages, having chances to win the first five games. Four of them went his way as he strode into an ominous 4-1 lead. Three set points against the serve were not taken, but those misses would not be regretted as he got the first set under his belt moments later.

The second set was very routine, aside from one break point. Hewitt coolly converted and went on to see the match out with real maturity many 17-year-olds do not possess at this young age.

"It’s a pretty special moment. Obviously, seeing my dad play this tournament, to get my first Tour win here, I know it feels really cool," Hewitt told the Tennis Channel afterwards.

He may need to get used to talking the media a lot more from now on with his name becoming increasingly more noteworthy. Already having loads of pressure on him in following the footsteps of his father, Hewitt seems to be dealing with it well.

His professional tennis journey started a while back. At just 14-years-old, he was offered a wildcard into the ITF M25 tournament in Darwin. So close yet so far as he lost in the third and final qualifying match.

His first main draw win at this level came in August 2024 in Bali at the age of 15. The progression was already showing as he continued to get the ropes of the sport.

At the start of each tennis season, the attention turns Down Under as Hewitt's home land of Australia get a number of tennis tournaments hosted. This is where he was rewarded with his first chances of qualifying for the main draw of an ATP event. Most notably was the Australian Open.

Successive years he has tried to get into his first Grand Slam this route, but both times he lost in the opening round. A harsh reality check. He would continue to compete at the major tournaments, but in the boys tournament where most recently he made a run to the final of Wimbledon, losing out to the impressive Jordan Lee after a titanic three-set battle. The occasion on No.1 Court was a special one with so much lessons learned and experience gained.

There is every chance that we could have a second Hewitt engraved on the DC Open trophy. Back in 2004, Hewitt's father won this title. The past may bode well with the former world number one also winning his first ATP Tournament after winning his first match.

Could this feat happen again with it being passed down through generations? Hewitt is most certainly not thinking that far ahead. "No, I’ll try my best. I’ll just play one match at a time."

He did take some inspiration from his dad's prior run at the DC Open, in awe of what he achieved. "It’s very surreal. It’s pretty special to play my first two qualifying matches on Centre Court and have my dad’s name in the back. It’s crazy. It’s kind of inspirational to look up at it as well. But no, yeah, it’s super special to be back here."

Having a dad with as much calibre gives you many benefits. From the advice passed down to having experienced the behind the scenes of tennis tournaments before at a young age. This most certainly helped Hewitt out.

"I’m very comfortable around the players, especially the Aussie players, and they’re super nice to me," he admitted. "I’ve practised with them for a few years now, and I do feel pretty comfortable being at the tournaments, the bigger tournaments. It’s really exciting because I’ve dreamt of playing at these tournaments. I’ve seen kind of the behind-the-scenes, and to be in the gym and the locker room with these guys, it’s pretty cool."

Hewitt may be the next big thing coming from Down Under, but he is still yet to prove himself against the big dogs of the ATP Tour. One of which is Aussie number one Alex de Minaur who over the years has become one of the best tennis players on tour.

He is the defending champion in Washington, and could be forced to compete against his young prodigy in the second round in what would be a highly anticipated tie not just for the Australian tennis contingent, but for all tennis fans around the world. This is still not confirmed yet. He is still yet to get his campaign started, and a nasty draw lies in wait for him with two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas his first task.

For Hewitt, he can sit back and watch with a sense of relaxation and anticipation that he will get to take to the court with either of them in the near future. It is set to be a huge step up, but he will have the belief following his win over Giron that he can challenge the best. It could be a sight tennis fans need to get used to as Hewitt's ATP Tour journey begins.