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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n The present and future of Australian tennis will collide in Washington DC early on Friday when newly married Alex de Minaur and his protege Cruz Hewitt face each other in the second round.<\/p>\n Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt\u2019s 17-year-old son made the most of his qualifying wildcard to reach the ATP 500 event\u2019s main draw and then upset 85th-ranked American Marcos Giron to continue his steep rise after reaching the Wimbledon boys\u2019 final last month<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the much-anticipated clash \u2013 scheduled for 3am AEST on Friday \u2013 depended on de Minaur beating his nemesis Stefanos Tsitsipas for just the second time in 14 match-ups, which he achieved with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory on Thursday.<\/p>\n Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt is a regular part of Team Demon, mostly at the grand slams, and that relationship has helped foster a close bond between de Minaur and Cruz Hewitt, too.<\/p>\n They train together, support one another from courtside, and even spend Christmases at the same table. Hewitt describes de Minaur as \u201clike my older brother\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s got to be a lot of respect shown to [Cruz] because it\u2019s definitely not easy being an ex-No.1 in the world\u2019s son,\u201d de Minaur said.<\/p>\n \u201cEver since he started [and] picked up the racquet \u2026 the expectation, the eyeballs, the spotlight was already on him. It\u2019s not easy when there is that kind of weight behind your surname.\u201d<\/p>\n De Minaur\u2019s win followed closely behind being revealed this week as one of the six tennis stars competing at the invite-only Six Kings Slam, which offers a $US1.5 million ($2.2 million) appearance fee, plus $US6 million ($8.6 million) to the winner.<\/p>\n Related Article Defending champion Jannik Sinner, 2025 runner-up Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz round out the field.<\/p>\n It has been a whirlwind period for de Minaur, who married British player Katie Boulter<\/a> in an intimate legal ceremony in Leicestershire, England, followed by a larger celebration in Tuscany, Italy. They squeezed in a brief honeymoon in Portofino<\/a> before de Minaur returned to defend his Washington Open title.<\/p>\n The wedding helped the world No.6 brush off the devastation he felt in losing<\/a> his fourth-round match at Wimbledon to Italy\u2019s Flavio Cobolli, after which he said the circumstances of the defeat \u201cbreaks me inside\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it was warranted, as much as a lot of people \u2013 myself included \u2013 wanted to make a big deal out of it,\u201d de Minaur said of the reaction to his post-match comments.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cIt became a really big thing, but realistically, it took me a couple of days to get over it. They were just the same feelings and emotions that any athlete has after a tough loss. Now, I\u2019m feeling great.\u201d<\/p>\n Hewitt\u2019s own Wimbledon campaign<\/a>, which was his last junior tournament, was a significant success despite losing the boys\u2019 final in three sets to American rising star Jordan Lee.<\/p>\n To many, inside and outside Australia, the result legitimised the teenager as a top-tier prospect and proved he was more than just the \u201cson of\u201d. Hewitt backing up his Wimbledon run by qualifying in Washington then upsetting Giron has only furthered that cause as he emerges from his dad\u2019s sizeable shadow.<\/p>\n \u201cI try to deal with it as best I can,\u201d Hewitt said of following in Lleyton\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, there is still pressure, but I try to take the positive that comes with it as well. I\u2019m happy with how I\u2019m dealing with it so far.\u201d<\/p>\n Hewitt told this masthead at Wimbledon<\/a> that he hoped to be inside the world\u2019s top 300 by year\u2019s end. His Washington breakout means his ranking is already guaranteed to surge into the 360s from outside the top 600.<\/p>\n That will improve further if he can stun his mentor de Minaur, a seven-time major quarter-finalist.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s like my older brother. I\u2019ve known him basically my whole life,\u201d Hewitt said after his first-round win, before he knew whether he would play de Minaur.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cHe\u2019s stayed with us. We have Christmas together also. He\u2019s taught me so much \u2013 I think that would be a pretty cool memory for us.\u201d<\/p>\n De Minaur won\u2019t underestimate Hewitt, who stands about 190 centimetres and boasts a fearsome serve and forehand combination that is already proving problematic to rivals.<\/p>\n \u201cI think what he\u2019s done an incredible job of is maturing, getting a good head on his shoulders and becoming his own player,\u201d de Minaur said.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving these results [shows] that he deserves to be where he is. I think he\u2019s a great kid, he\u2019s been doing great, and I think Lleyton has done an incredible job as his father and helping him out whenever he can.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve created a great atmosphere, and that\u2019s led to him being a very good tennis player.\u201d<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Cruz](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ab6d4f5aa16c06af95307d5a34a49b38709f59e36ad9390b0d57a7c4dacf16d2.jpeg\")
Cruz Hewitt and Alex de Minaur in 2018. They will play each other in the Washington Open.Getty<\/p>\n![\"Cruz](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785400818_4_ba87f580c349c92fcb574ca7da2e21741d740cb7.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Cruz](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783698913_492_3e60a70f5b60bd01651533009d5823466b44a115.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e6aff900ca1166e657b5b04d82afc4870922f3ad.jpeg\")
Alex de Minaur (left) will take on rising teen Cruz Hewitt, son of Lleyton, in Washington.Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785400821_746_e41df5258c18f10f5a46c1db5c50426e47498cc5a55e55b91e8f73cf864c1a20.jpeg\")
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