Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt's return from retirement alongside his 16-year-old son Cruz ended in defeat at the NSW Open in Sydney. The father-son duo, awarded a wildcard into the Challenger event, lost 7-5 6-4 to fellow Australians Callum Puttergill and Dane Sweeny in the quarter-finals.
Hewitt, a two-time Major winner, had not played a competitive match since retiring from doubles at the 2020 Australian Open. He and Cruz impressed in their opening match on Wednesday, defeating Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov 6-0 6-1 in just 48 minutes. “It was a lot of fun,” Hewitt said afterwards. “It’s something that I don’t think many fathers get the chance to do.”
The quarter-final proved a rollercoaster contest with 12 breaks of serve, but the Hewitts could not sustain their early momentum. Cruz also suffered a second-round defeat in the singles draw a day earlier, losing to Matsuoka Hayato in three sets.
Cruz, ranked world number 759, has shown promise on the Challenger tour. He earned his first Challenger-level win in Brisbane last week, beating world number 192 James McCabe, and later defeated Omar Jasika in Sydney. His ranking is expected to rise to a new career-high next week.
Despite the loss, Hewitt expressed pride in his son's development. The teenager is set to compete in qualifying for next week's Playford Challenger and may receive wildcard opportunities.
