Wimbledon 2026: Cruz Hewitt advances to junior quarter-finals
Cruz Hewitt is a step closer to winning a junior grand slam title after the 17-year-old knocked off the No.2 seed to secure his best ever result at a major, marching into the Wimbledon quarter-finals.The son of Australian Davis Cup captain and former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt, had not played a junior event since last year’s US Open and looked noticeably taller and stronger on court as he defeated New Zealand-born German Jamie Mackenzie, 6-3, 6-4 in just under 70 minutes.AdvertisementHewitt becomes the first Australian to venture this far in the boys’ event since Alex de Minaur a decade ago. De Minaur reached the final and was beaten by Canadian Denis Shapovalov.It’s a step up for Hewitt on last year’s performance, where he won his debut before losing in straight sets to 11th-seeded Finn Oskari Paldanius. The match was a tense affair for the Hewitt family as Cruz was seen arguing with his father while on court.That led to Paldanius mocking his father’s famous “vicht” celebration, where he points his hand back towards his face.“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 at the All England Club.“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.”Hewitt’s parents have been watching on in the stands with coach and former Aussie player Wayne Arthurs.Lleyton was on court playing in an invitational match at the All England Club during his son’s latest match, but made it courtside to see match point having witnessed his win in the previous round.AdvertisementHe said having his father on hand to help with his preparation had been of huge benefit.“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.”The developing Hewitt is now ranked 606th in the senior ATP rankings and hopes a win at junior level can help elevate his game.AdvertisementAdvertisementHe said interacting with Australian tennis fans at Wimbledon had been one of the highlights of the tournament.“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.“I showed my appreciation to those who were cheering for me and basically helping me get over the line. I appreciate everyone who does that.”AdvertisementThe last Australian to win the junior Wimbledon title was Luke Saville in 2011.The unseeded Hewitt plays Bulgarian ninth seed Dimitar Kisimov in the last-eight on Thursday night at 10:20pm AEST on Stan Sport.
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