Cruise Hewitt has reached the final of the Wimbledon men’s tournament, continuing his meteoric career at the All England Club.
Hewitt defeated highly touted young Dutchman Thijs Boogaard 6-4, 6-4 on Friday night Australian time.
Boogaard had match point against Daniil Medvedev in a three-set defeat in the Netherlands last month, but Hewitt has proven he can match him with the best of Generation Next.
The 17-year-old became the first Australian to reach the Wimbledon men’s final since Alex de Minaur ten years ago in 2016.
Luke Saville and Ash Barty were the last Australians to win the junior tournament, both taking the honors in 2011.
Hewitt’s serve resulted in speeds of 200 km/h and he showed excellent control on his groundstrokes, limiting his unforced errors.
The teenager has barely played at junior level this year, instead playing in ITF and Challenger tournaments, and it has paid dividends.
He has never made it past the second round of the junior Grand Slam draw, but Hewitt said this week that he is the real deal at Wimbledon.
There was a sense that something special was brewing on Court 18 as Hewitt took to the court with his dad Lleyton, mum Bec and sister Ava watching in their games room.
“We’re just watching Lleyton Hewitt’s son play… yeah, he’s so old,” one British fan told a friend on the phone as the match began.
“That’s Lleyton Hewitt’s son,” said another.
Sitting next to a pot of green hydrangeas, Lleyton looked on nervously but shouted familiar choruses of encouragement, including “Come on, buddy,” “That’s it,” and “Nice ball, Cruz.”
Mum Beck sat in the back and watched the match closely, handing her daughter sunscreen in the 30C London heat.
The Hewitts weren’t the only celebrities to support Cruise. The teenager flashed a cheeky grin early in the second set when he spotted Roger Federer’s daughter Maila on the terrace overlooking Court 18.
Cruise’s friendship with Federer’s twin daughters Mila and Charlene made news at the Australian Open earlier this year, and Federer’s children cheered him on during his matches at Wimbledon.
“Let’s go, Cruz!” one of Federer’s sons shouted several times throughout the tense second set.
Hewitt faltered early in the second set, missed serve and knocked a pair of forehands off his racquet, but bounced right back to stay level with Boogaard. He broke serve again before finishing the match on his serve, which was rarely threatened throughout the match.
After his victory, Cruz was greeted by the entire Federer clan with the exception of Roger, who was in the royal box earlier this week.
He was congratulated by Federer’s parents and shook hands with Roger’s father Robert, who introduced herself to Bec Hewitt.
“They used to be rivals,” Robert told Beck before Lleyton shared a few words with the Federers.
Cruz was congratulated by Federer’s wife Federer and hugged all of Federer’s children Maila, Charlene, Leo and Lenny before heading with his team into the bowels of the All England Club.
Cruz is taller than Lleyton, but he’s a sliver of the old block screaming, “Yeah, come on!” and “Let’s go” after hitting the winners. His best pass of the match came when he hit a deft cross-court shot and deflected a series of volleys to score several points.