Cruz Hewitt has knocked out another seeded rival as the son of Australian great Lleyton reached the semi-finals in the Wimbledon junior event. The 17-year-old, who was still six years from being born when his dad won the Wimbledon men's title in 2002, crushed Bulgaria's Dimitar Kisimov 6-1 6-2 in just 53 minutes.
Dominant Run Without Dropping a Set
It's propelled him into the semi-final without yet having dropped a set in four matches, and he's hoping victory in Friday's last-four clash with Dutch 11th seed Thijs Boogaard will make him the first Australian to make the boys' final since Alex de Minaur 10 years ago. De Minaur lost that final to Denis Shapovalov, but Hewitt, who'd already surpassed dad Lleyton's best finish in the junior event of a last-16 place back in 1997, is looking good to become the first Australian boys' champ since Luke Saville in 2011.
Impressive Statistics and Family Support
The teenager blasted down 10 aces and cracked 22 winners with his dad, who's taking part in the invitation doubles for former stars, watching on courtside alongside mum Bec and one of Roger Federer's daughters. And the youngster wasn't hiding how much fun the event's been for him.
"It's incredible because I still remember when I was little, hitting on these courts, coming watch my dad play, and especially he's playing here as well, and then all my family here too, so it's definitely nice to do it here," said Cruz, who grinned he "was a little happy about" surpassing his dad's junior run at SW19.
Maturity and Mental Approach
Hewitt has been grinding on the ITF Futures and ATP Challenger tours and stepped back to juniors for one last tilt at Wimbledon. He said he was most proud of showing off his mentality and belief, revealing one secret to his rise has been working with a Tennis Australia psychologist.
"I haven't played juniors for a while, but I feel more mature on the court, coming into this tournament as well," he said. "I have a great team around me that helps me to do that as well. It definitely comes with age, I think as well, a little bit.
"This is another step, really. I don't think the job's done yet. I would love to play another good match next match, that's all I'm focusing on right now. I am very happy; just trying to stay level-headed, I guess."
