Aussie tennis young gun Cruz Hewitt‘s latest victory at the $30,000 Southaven Open has put his recent heroics into stark perspective. While compatriot Alex de Minaur has suffered fresh heartache at the Canadian Open after squandering a huge lead and a match point before crashing out in the third round against Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
Teenage ace Hewitt had no such issues after defeating Japan’s Leo Vithoontien 6-4 6-3 to reach the semi-finals at the Southaven Open. It continues the 17-year-old’s stunning recent form that saw him finish runner-up in the Wimbledon boys’ final, before scoring his first ATP main draw singles victory by beating Marcos Giron at the Washington Open.
Cruz Hewitt (L) won his latest match at the $30,000 Southaven Open, while Alex de Minaur (far right) suffered a horror collapse in his third round loss at the Canadian Open. Pic: Getty
Hewitt lost to de Minaur in the second round but pocketed a cool $51,380 for his troubles. And just by qualifying for the $3.5 million tournament in Washington, the son of Aussie tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt was guaranteed a $27,000 pay cheque for making the first round.
That’s in stark contrast to the total $30,000 prize pool at the Southaven Open that the 17-year-old is currently playing for a slice of. The tournament in Mississippi serves as a minor league pathway for future ATP and WTA stars. And it’s another important part of Hewitt’s tennis journey, albeit a far less glamorous or lucrative event than the World No.370 has been used to in recent weeks.
Alex de Minaur suffers fresh heartache in Montreal
Meanwhile, Australia’s top-ranked men’s star de Minaur suffered a spectacular collapse in a 5-7 7-6(5) 6-1 loss to Norrie at the Canadian Open. De Minaur was a set and 5-2 up and serving for victory in Montreal, but failed to take advantage of a match point as the Briton launched a remarkable turnaround.
The Aussie – fresh from his marriage to fellow tennis star Katie Boulter – had victory within his grasp but double faulted on match point, before capitulating in horror scenes. De Minaur had another chance to serve for the match at 5-4 but another double fault opened the door for Norrie to pounce and send the contest into a deciding set.
It was largely one-way traffic from there as the World No.37 dominated de Minaur in the third set to wrap up victory in two hours, 52 minutes and book his spot in the fourth round. It marked another disappointing display from de Minaur, whose Washington Open title defence was ended by Brandon Nakashima in a straight-sets quarter-final defeat last week.
Alex de Minaur squandered a match point and a big lead after losing to Cameron Norrie in the third round of the Canadian Open. Pic: Getty
with agencies