Cruz Hewitt has fallen short of qualifying for the Australian Open, losing in the first round to USA youngster Michael Zheng.
The 17-year-old showed signs of his precocious talent but was brushed aside 6-3 6-3 in one hour, 18 minutes on ANZ Arena.
At times Hewitt played some brilliant tennis, but in the end hit 37 unforced errors to 14, with Zheng so solid from the back of the court.
It is the second consecutive year Hewitt has been knocked out at first stage of Australian Open qualifying - losing to Nikolaz Basilashvili in 2025.
Hewitt is still waiting to reach his first ATP or grand slam match - having lost the three qualifying matches he has played.
MORE: Australian Open qualifying LIVE 2026: Scores, schedule, draw, results, bracket
There was an alarm for Hewitt on the first point when he appeared to tweak his back and alerted his camp to the issue.
However, the teenager managed to hold a tough opening service game, fighting off two break points.
Hewitt managed to work his way into the game and it remained on serve until the seventh game when Zheng secured the break.
The Aussie struggled to maintain his composure for the rest of the set, conceding another break as he lost it 6-3.
Hewitt continued to battle in the second set, conceding an early break and finding himself down 2-0.
However, displaying the fighting qualities made famous by his father Lleyton, Hewitt broke back immediately to get the set back on serve.
But composure is still lacking for the 17-year-old, as he immediately gave the break back to Zheng, gift wrapping it with a double fault.
In a positive sign, Hewitt once again wrestled back the break but again couldn't hold it as Zheng broke back and then served the match out 6-3.