Cruz Hewitt, son of 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, has advanced to the quarter-finals of the boys' singles championship at the All England Club. The 17-year-old Australian secured his spot in the last eight with a third-round victory over the second seed, Jamie Mackenzie.
Hewitt's progression marks a significant achievement, making him the first Australian to reach this stage in the boys' event in a decade, since Alex de Minaur in 2016. De Minaur went on to reach the final that year. Hewitt, currently ranked World No. 606 and climbing, expressed his ambition for a similar run.
"Every tournament, you come in and you hope to win it, but I'm just here taking it one match at a time," Hewitt said. "So far, three matches and I've enjoyed playing every one. So next match, I'll try and do the same and then we'll see how it goes."
He is set to face Bulgarian ninth seed Dimitar Kisimov in the quarter-finals. Hewitt acknowledged the valuable support from his father, who is also at Wimbledon participating in the invitational doubles event. "I've warmed up with him every day, so he helps me a lot. Obviously, having him on the sidelines has helped, just to support me being there. I'm grateful for him in my corner," Cruz stated.
Despite the attention that comes with being the son of a former champion, Hewitt embraces the atmosphere. "The Australian people in the crowd have just been really good. I got a few 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussies!' today, and that definitely helps, gets my energy up. I perform better in those type of situations on the court," he said.
After opting to compete on the senior World Tennis circuit instead of junior events since last year's US Open, Hewitt has already reached a final and a semi-final on grass courts, indicating his suitability for the surface. Reflecting on his performance against Mackenzie, he added, "I think I played a pretty good match and feel like I did the right things. It's good to get the win, I'm pretty happy to be in the quarter-finals and happy that I get to play another match at this tournament."