Cruz Hewitt has been rewarded for his stunning run to the Wimbledon boys’ final after being handed a qualifying wildcard for the Washington Open in a major career first. The 17-year-old son of Aussie tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt has only ever been awarded ATP qualifying wildcards on home soil, and has never played in a senior men’s match in the United States.
However, organisers of the Washington Open have given the teenager a chance to test himself at the highest level after his dream run at Wimbledon earlier this month. Hewitt went down in three sets to Jordan Lee in the boys’ final at the All England Club after knocking off a number of top seeds on his way to the tournament decider.
Aussie tennis star Cruz Hewitt (L) has been handed a qualifying wildcard for the Washington Open after his incredible run to the Wimbledon boys’ final. Pic: Getty
And both Wimbledon boys’ finalists have been rewarded for their impressive form after being handed a chance to qualify for the Washington Open. The ATP 500 hard court event is set to get underway next week and in a post captioned ‘The future is here’, organisers confirmed on social media that Hewitt and Lee had been handed the chance to qualify for the main draw.
Leading tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg was among those to praise the news after labelling it a “cool bit of qualies wild carding”. And it gives World No.615 Hewitt the opportunity to join a number of fellow Aussies – including defending champion Alex de Minaur – in the men’s main draw.
Qualifying begins on Saturday in Washington and Hewitt will need to win two matches to secure his place in the singles tournament, which kicks off on Monday in the United States. If he’s successful, it would represent one of the biggest achievements for the 17-year-old, who previously failed to get through qualifying at the 2025 and 2026 Australian Opens, and the Brisbane International earlier this year.
Cruz Hewitt rewarded after run to Wimbledon boys’ final
The 17-year-old Hewitt had skipped junior events since last year’s US Open to test himself on the senior circuit, before making his return in the Wimbledon boys’ tournament. And he was the first Aussie since de Minaur in 2016 to make the junior decider at the All England Club, falling just short of joining his father Lleyton as a Wimbledon champion.
Cruz Hewitt (L) fell just short of joining his famous father Lleyton (R) as a Wimbledon champion after going down to Jordan Lee in the boys’ final. Pic: Getty
“A very special week for me. I played some good tennis,” the 17-year-old said after defeat in the final. “I’m happy with my level and to make the final on this beautiful court, it’s been really unreal.
“I grew up around this tournament seeing my dad play, seeing this court for many years now. It’s a privilege to play on any court here and being around all the fans.”
