Updated July 11, 2026 – 1:40 am,first publication at 23:15
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London: Cruz Hewitt will compete for the Wimbledon boys’ singles title, almost a quarter of a century after his father won the men’s championship on the sport’s most hallowed stage.
The little blond man who followed Lleyton, the 2002 All England champion, everywhere during his final days on tour – and even featured in a TV advert with the former world number one – has grown up to suddenly become one of the best junior prospects on the planet.
Cruz Hewitt has reached the Wimbledon men’s singles final.AP Photo/Kin Chung
Hewitt scored his most impressive win of the week in Friday’s semi-final against top Dutch junior Thijs Boogaard, who just weeks ago won a round at the ATP tournament in his home country before pushing Daniil Medvedev to a final set tiebreaker.
The 6-4, 6-4 triumph over the No. 11 seed was the 17-year-old’s fourth in a row over a seeded opponent and made him the first Australian to reach a Wimbledon men’s final since Alex de Minaur a decade ago.
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Hewitt has not dropped a set in his five wins to date and is bidding to become the first Australian junior winner since Luke Saville in 2011. De Minaur lost his final in three sets to future top 10 star Denis Shapovalov.
“I’m very pleased with my performance today,” Hewitt said.
“Like all my matches this week, I was very balanced, stayed pretty composed throughout the match and that allowed me to play some good tennis. I’m so happy to be in the final.”
Hewitt’s proud father then gave him a pat on the back as excitement grew around him. His mother Bec and coach, former Davis Cup hero Wayne Arthurs, were also part of the support team on Court 18.
Hewitt enjoys having his famous father around, both for the support and for the wisdom he brings from his Hall of Fame career. But the most remarkable thing is how well the teenager copes with the role of “son”.
“Obviously my dad had a great career, but I’m not looking to match him or do better. I just want to make my own career and see how good I can be as a tennis player,” Hewitt said.
Cruise Hewitt with his father Lleyton Hewitt during training at the 2010 Australian Open.Joe Armao
“(Expectations and pressure) are always there, but I take the positives out of it. I do what I can and kind of block out all the other noise. It doesn’t bother me too much. I focus on myself and try to do my best every day.”
“I think I’ve always had that personality type and it’s obviously helped me.”
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Hewitt even played his part in the fairytale run of the fortnight, warming up for Arthur Fehry at Aorangi Park on Friday morning ahead of the UK semi-final against Alexander Zverev. This is the second time he faces Feri this week.
“I was very lucky to get in with him,” Hewitt said. “I was warming him up a few days ago and we were going to warm up at the same time, so I think his coach might have asked my coach if I wanted to throw a shot – and of course I did.”
Throughout the week, attention on Hewitt increased, from fans and passersby to players his age and the international media, who began writing about him and appearing at his post-match press conferences.
Following Hewitt’s semi-final victory, the press community was at its biggest, with questions ranging from how well he knows the Federer twins to whether he is still growing, why Lleyton is clapping a little later than the rest of Hewitt’s team and whether he can beat his father in training.
“We haven’t played an official match. Maybe we play a few innings, points, a set or whatever. But I should organize a match – maybe on grass, we’ll see,” Hewitt said.
“I actually won a few sets, but he’s still very competitive, so he really wants to win. He’ll be there all day.”
Hewitt’s jab became a weapon again.AP Photo/Kin Chung
Hewitt handled it all with aplomb, including shrugging off his first major on-court trouble on Friday when Boogaard broke him for a 3-1 lead in the second set.
Hewitt’s main weapons – his serve and forehand, often in combination – are unmistakable, but he is also comfortable moving forward, volleys well and displays mature shot selection.
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The great Andre Agassi considered Lleyton Hewitt to be one of the best on-court decision makers in the sport, so he has the perfect role model in that regard.
Hewitt was in good form from the start against Boogaard, taking advantage of his opponent’s nervous start to break him in the third game of the match.
That was all the rising star needed to hold off the Dutchman in the first set, but there was some impressive play, including one cross-court forehand pass from a defensive position that left Boogaard dazed at the net.
Just in case, there was a loud “Come on.”
Boogaard is a year older than Hewitt, already boasts a strong physique and is some 80 places higher in the men’s rankings, but the Australian is up to the task.
Hewitt’s serves were usually close to 200 km/h, and it is not only the speed but also the precision with which he serves them that makes them so effective. No opponent this week had a consistent response to his serve, especially on the slick fields of Wimbledon.
Hewitt’s serve was a major factor in his success at Wimbledon.AP Photo/Kin Chung
Hewitt made one momentary mistake.
Serving to level the second set at two-all after failing to convert two break points in the previous game, Hewitt had a sloppy few minutes, dropping serve to 15 with four unforced errors.
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But as he did for the rest of the week, Hewitt responded. An aggressive, deep forehand earned him a break point in the next game, and Boogaard was beaten on a double fault.
Hewitt was behind twice more on serve, but absorbed the pressure and then moved at four-all. With Boogaard trailing 15-30, Hewitt hit a powerful inside-out forehand that hurt the Dutchman, then the Australian went again – but this time for the winner.
Boogaard hit a long forehand on the next point to miss another break, and Hewitt managed a hard move to seal the straight sets win.
Next up is 16-year-old American player Jordan Lee, who has qualified.
So, what would Cruise Hewitt, Wimbledon champion, sound like?
“Sounds pretty good. But obviously there’s another one (in line), it’s a work in progress. I hope it happens, but we’ll see,” he said.
Mark McGowan traveled to London with the support of Tennis Australia.
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