Cruz Hewitt wins ATP debut, eyes de Minaur in Washington Open second round

Cruz Hewitt, 17-year-old son of former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, secured his first ATP Tour victory in his main draw debut at the Washington Open on Tuesday, defeating American qualifier Marcos Giron 6-3 6-4 in 74 minutes. The victory marks a significant milestone in Hewitt's progression to the senior ranks, following his recent run to the Wimbledon junior singles final. Hewitt advanced through qualifying via walkovers after leading both Dušan Lajović and Zachary Svajda before they withdrew injured.

Hewitt reached the main draw after his opening qualifying wins propelled him into contention at the ATP 500 event in Washington DC. In his opening match against world number 80 Giron—a former top-37 player who reached the Australian Open third round last year—Hewitt did not face a break point and controlled the match from start to finish. The 17-year-old's victory launched him from outside the top 600 to number 357 in the ATP live rankings, a jump of approximately 255 places. He earned approximately $27,000 for reaching the main draw and an additional $24,600 for the first-round win.

Following his victory, Hewitt celebrated by mimicking his father's iconic bicep-curl gesture and "C'mon!" exclamation, a tribute he described as meaningful given his father's influence on his career. In a post-match interview, Hewitt said his father advised him before the match to "enjoy it because it was my first tour level match, to take every point one-by-one, to enjoy the atmosphere and the crowd." Hewitt acknowledged the pressure of carrying the Hewitt name but stated he was "dealing with it as best as I can" and trying to "take the positives out of it."

Hewitt's potential second-round opponent is top seed Alex de Minaur, the defending Washington champion and world number 5, who faces Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas—a former world number 3—in the first round. De Minaur recently married fellow professional Katie Boulter in Tuscany and returned to competition for the Washington tournament. Hewitt described de Minaur as a mentor and "like my older brother," noting they have known each other since childhood and spend time together including holidays. Should both advance, the all-Australian matchup would represent a significant career moment for the teenager.

Hewitt's debut victory makes him the youngest winner at the Washington 500 event since Japan's Kei Nishikori in 2007 and the fourth man born in 2008 or later to win an ATP Tour match. His father Lleyton Hewitt won the Washington title in 2004 and is a former US Open and Wimbledon champion. The teenager also had a warm-up practice session with his father ahead of the Giron match, drawing on his experience as a two-time major champion.