Cruz Hewitt, son of former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, suffers heart-breaking defeat in French Open Juniors

Cruz Hewitt, son of the former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, failed to leave his mark in the French Open juniors category. The 16-year-old was taking part in the juniors category of the ongoing French Open, where his journey came to an end in the round of 64 as he lost to Pierluigi Basile with a score of 7-6, 5-7, 6-3.

The contest was a much-anticipated one and featured a large crowd, where the younger Hewitt put on a show but ultimately fell short in a contest which lasted more than two hours. This is not the first time the youngster featured in the mega-event this year.

He lost in the first round of the qualifying round at the Australian Open to Nikoloz Basilashvili in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-4. He then featured in the junior's event, where his journey ended in the round of 32 as he lost to the Czech Republic’s Jan Kumstat in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6.

Even though the result did not go the way Cruz would have liked, he would be hoping that his recent outing at the Roland Garros would help him improve his performance on a court where his father did not do exceptionally well during his playing days.

Lleyton, who retired from professional tennis back in 2020 after winning two Grand Slam titles in his career, did not have a great outing while playing at the French Open. It was the only Grand Slam where he never managed to cement a spot in the semifinal or beyond. His best performances came in the 2001 and 2004 editions, where he was knocked out after losing in the quarterfinals. In 2001, he came second-best against Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. Three years later, Hewitt lost to Argentina’s Gaston Gaudio in straight sets in the last-eight contest with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 6-2