He’s only just turned 17.
But Cruz Hewitt has provided an exciting glimpse of Australia’s tennis future with a bold, but ultimately losing, performance on the opening weekend of the 2026 Brisbane International.
The teenage prodigy, who boasts more than a passing on-court resemblance to his famous father Lleyton, received a wildcard into the qualifying rounds in Brisbane where he was looking to make the main draw for the first time.
Currently sitting 735 in the ATP rankings, Hewitt made a brilliant start against world number 62 Kamil Majchrzak from Poland, breaking the 29-year-old in the opening game of the match and leading 4-2 deep in the first set, before going down 6-4 7-5 after one hour and 23 minutes on court.
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Despite the loss in Brisbane, it was a performance full of fight and promise and Australian tennis fans won’t have to wait long for another chance to see the young star in action—Hewitt has also received a wildcard into the qualifying draw for the 2026 Australian Open.
After making his senior grand slam debut in last year’s Australian Open qualifying tournament, Hewitt will need to win three matches to reach the main draw at Melbourne Park later this month.
If he can do it, he’ll become the second member of his family to do so as a teenager in a rare piece of Australian sports history. (His father Lleyton became the youngest man ever to qualify for the Australian Open in 1997 at 15 years and 11 months old.)
Qualifying for the 2026 Australian Open begins on Monday, January 12 with players battling over three rounds for one of 16 spots in both the men’s and women’s main draws.