- Hewitt Cruz won his first-round match in the Boys' Singles event on Sunday.
- Lleyton, his father, looked on proudly from the crowd at Wimbledon as he claimed victory with scores of 6-1, 6-2.
Australian tennis icon and ex- Wimbledon Lleyton Hewitt, a former champion, was seen observing his son Cruz during the match where the 16-year-old defeated Russia’s Savva Rybkin with scores of 6-1 and 6-2 in the opening round of the Wimbledon Boys' Singles tournament on Sunday.
Cruz displayed glimpses of his father’s talent—himself a two-time Grand Slam champion—as he quickly defeated his opponent in only 51 minutes.
Frequently spotted on the sidelines cheering for his son, Lleyton was a picture of elation as he raised his fist into the air in proud support during the match.
Hewitt, who was eliminated in the opening round of the junior event at the French Open In May, he started strong on Sunday, securing two breaks of serve in the opening set to establish an early advantage over his rival.
He continued from where he had stopped in the second set, recording 26 winners throughout the match.
Earlier in the year, Hewitt aimed to secure a spot in the main event of the tournament. Australian Open but suffered defeat in the first round of qualifying against Nikoloz Basilashvili.
This location also saw him become embroiled in a major controversy when he seemed to draw criticism from Nick Kyrgios over practicing with Jannik Sinner as the latter awaited news regarding an alleged violation of anti-doping regulations.
Kyrgios responded to a post from Hewitt on Instagram, writing: "Love you Cruz but this is crazy," followed by "Burnt take" along with a syringe emoji.
He went on to say: "Thought we were boys," accompanied by multiple shattered heart emojis.
Andy Roddick eventually responded to Nick Kyrgios' remarks, with Kyrgios clarifying that his comments were meant as a lighthearted joke between the two longtime close friends.
Cruz is presently ranked 827th on the ATP Tour, after competing mainly on the ITF Circuit lately.
Last month, he made it to the championship match of the M25 ITF tournament in Launceston, Australia, where he was defeated in the final by his fellow countryman, Jason Kubler.
Australia’s ex-No. 1 player and current Davis Cup captain, His father Lleyton, could be seen observing Alex de Minaur earlier this week as he secured victory over Roberto Carballes Baena in their first-round match.
After Kyrgios faced criticism from Lleyton, the latter continued to support his son.
"It’s going to be a lengthy process," remarked the ex-Wimbledon titleholder following the Australian Open.
I was eager to see him compete. His match against Basilashvili wasn’t easy—he’s a former world number 16 and someone who reached the final in Indian Wells before.
He will next compete against 11th-seeded Oskari Paldanius, who comes from Finland, in the second round.
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