Cruz Hewitt fails in bid to emulate father Lleyton after going down in Aus Open qualifying

Cruz Hewitt has fallen at the first hurdle in his bid to qualify for the Australian Open after going down in straight sets to former World No.16 Nikoloz Basilashvili on Tuesday. The young Hewitt was looking to emulate his famous father by qualifying for the main draw at Melbourne Park but will have to wait a little longer after going down 6-1 6-4 against the Georgian.

Cruz was handed a brutal first-up assignment and was blown away by Basilashvili in a lopsided opening set. But the youngster showed his dad's fighting spirit to take the match to the Georgian in the second stanza, only to come up agonisingly short.

The 16-year-old needed to get past Basilashvili and win two more matches to book a ticket into the year's first grand slam, and had opportunities to break the Georgian late in the second set. But his 32-year-old opponent's experience helped get him across the line to end Cruz's dream of making his Australian Open debut in 2025.

Hewitt recently failed to qualify for the Canberra International after losing 6-7 (9-11) 1-6 to World No.198 Brandon Holt. The teenager had three set points in the first-set tie-breaker and then ran out of steam in the second.

His chances against Basilashvili were slim, but the Georgian has been plagued by injuries over the last two years and hasn't played a competitive match since November. Hewitt needed to win three-straight matches in qualifying to make the Australian Open main draw but will have to wait a little longer after his defeat on Tuesday.

Lleyton Hewitt opens up on son Cruz's tennis journey

Cruz is currently World No.107 in the junior ranks (and 1264 overall) and was knocked out in the first round of the junior boys tournament at the Australian Open in 2024. He's expected to feature in the junior tournament again in 2025, but will look to step up his transition to senior tennis by attempting to qualify for the main draw.

It comes 28 years after father Lleyton debuted at Melbourne Park as a 15-year-old in the main draw. Speaking at the Newcombe Medal earlier this month, Cruz said he's trying to forge his own path and won't be relying on his former World No.1 father. "It is what it is, but I don't really mind," he said. "It just drives me to be better. I like to bring the energy. And (to) serve - I love hitting forehands as well. I love Ben Shelton and I love (now-retired) Dominic Thiem."

Lleyton noted the inevitable comparisons, saying: "Oh, they've already been there - ever since he picked up a racquet. He's just got to enjoy it as much as possible and make it fun. He's been doing great so far. It's hard to know how he'll end up. But he's a good shot-maker. He's got a little bit more firepower than probably I did, but, yeah, it's a long journey, absolutely.

"It's getting harder and harder to jump onto the men's tour at such a young age and to make that transition. So he's just got to enjoy it. And it's stepping stones, it's about always trying to keep improving."

Cruz Hewitt photo with Jannik Sinner angers Nick Kyrgios

Cruz stepped onto Rod Laver Arena for a hit with World No.1 Jannik Sinner last weekend, and posed for a photo with the Italian star. But it prompted a seemingly furious swipe from Nick Kyrgios, who has continually attacked Sinner after he failed a drug test but escaped a ban last year.