WASHINGTON : Australian teenager Cruz Hewitt claimed the first ATP Tour-level victory of his career on Tuesday, defeating American Marcos Giron 6-3 6-4 in the opening round of the Washington Open.
The 17-year-old qualifier, ranked 612th in the world, continued his rapid rise after finishing runner-up to American Jordan Lee in the Wimbledon boys’ singles final earlier this month, nearly 25 years after his father, former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, won the men’s title at the All England Club.
“It’s pretty surreal to win here,” Hewitt said after the match.
“Obviously I saw my dad play here. I came to his last tournament I remember. There are so many memories of that. To make it to round two, it’s very special.”
The victory also carried added significance as Lleyton Hewitt lifted the Washington title in 2004.
Cruz said his father had advised him to embrace the occasion rather than be overwhelmed by it.
“It was my first tour main draw match, so (he told me) just to enjoy it and take every point one-by-one, really enjoy the atmosphere and the crowd,” he said.
“I tried to do as best as I could. There’s a little pressure, but I try to take the positives from it as well. I’m happy with how I’m dealing with it so far.”
The win made Hewitt the youngest player to win a main-draw match in Washington since Japan’s Kei Nishikori in 2007. He also became only the fourth male player born in 2008 or later to record an ATP Tour-level victory, joining Diego Dedura, Thijs Boogaard and Moise Kouame.
Hewitt will face either Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas or fellow Australian Alex de Minaur in the second round.
“Obviously if I play Alex, that would be a dream to share the court with him,” Hewitt said.
“He’s like my older brother. I’ve known him basically my whole life. He’s stayed with us and we have Christmas together as well. He’s taught me so much, so I think that would be a pretty cool memory for us.”
