Lleyton Hewitt's son Cruz stages multiple comebacks to reach maiden ITF final, one step away from emulating Aussie legend

World No. 1174 Cruz Hewitt, son of former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, reached his maiden ITF final at Launceston, Australia against all odds on Friday (February 28). The 16-year-old will be eager to emulate his father, who was one of the most precocious talents in tennis in the last century.

Hewitt Jr. began his campaign at the M25 event in Launceston in hard-fought fashion, winning his first two matches in three sets against Ethan Cook and Dane Sweeney, respectively.

Although the Aussie only needed two sets to upset World No. 225 Yu Hsiou Hsu in the quarterfinals, he did survive a scare in the second set of the match as he came back from 4-5, 15-30 down to secure the 7-5, 7-5 win.

Cruz Hewitt again overcame a higher-ranked opponent in his semifinal outing, overturning a break deficit in the deciding set to beat the South Korean by a scoreline of 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-3. By virtue of his run, the young upstart will contest his first ITF final at the bare age of 16.

For academic purposes, Lleyton Hewitt also won his first title as a teenager when he reigned supreme at the 1998 Australian Men's Hardcourt Championships in Adelaide. The Aussie's run at his home tournament was a precursor for things to come, to say the least.

Having turned pro in January 1998, the Aussie was ranked outside the men's top 500 before arriving in Adelaide. However, that didn't deter the then-17-year-old from going all the way at the ATP World Series event. He beat the more experienced Andre Agassi in the semifinals before eking out a three-setter title victory against surprise finalist Jason Stoltenberg.

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Lleyton Hewitt held the ATP record for being the youngest World No. 1 for more than two decades

Lleyton Hewitt poses with Wimbledon trophy in 2002 | Image Source: Getty

While Lleyton Hewitt had a quiet season in 1999, he eventually established himself as a top 10 fixture the following year before winning his maiden Major title at the 2001 US Open. A consistent season allowed him to rise to the top-ranking spot on the ATP Tour in November 2001, which meant that he broke the record for the youngest World No. 1 at the age of 20.

Hewitt would end both the 2001 and the 2002 seasons as the year-end World No. 1. The two-time Major winner's record was eventually eclipsed by Carlos Alcaraz at 19 years and four months following the Spaniard's breakthrough in 2022. The Aussie, on his part, won one more Major title at Wimbledon in 2002 but saw his career ravaged by various injuries. He eventually retired from singles tennis in January 2016 after his 20th Australian Open participation.