London: Cruz Hewitt will play off for the Wimbledon boys’ singles title, almost a quarter of a century after his father won the men’s championship at the sport’s most hallowed grounds.
The little blond kid who followed Lleyton, the 2002 All England Club champion, around everywhere in his final days on tour is all grown up and suddenly, one of the best junior prospects on the planet.
Hewitt secured his most impressive win of the week in the semi-finals on Friday against top Dutch junior Thijs Boogaard, who only a few weeks ago won a round at the ATP event in his home country before pushing Daniil Medvedev to a final-set tiebreak.
The 6-4, 6-4 triumph over the No.11 seed was the 17-year-old’s fourth in a row over seeded opposition, and makes him the first Australian to reach the Wimbledon boys’ final since Alex de Minaur a decade ago.
“I’m really happy with my performance today,” Hewitt said.
“Like all my matches this week, I was very level-headed, stayed pretty composed throughout that whole match, and then that allowed me to play good tennis. I’m so happy to be in the final.”
Hewitt has not dropped a set in his five wins to date.
Luke Saville was the last Australian winner in 2011. De Minaur lost his final in three sets to fellow future top-10 star Denis Shapovalov.
There has been increasing attention on Hewitt throughout the week, from fans and passers-by to playing peers and international media, who have started writing about him and appearing at his post-match press conferences.
But the teenager has handled it all with aplomb, including brushing off his first major on-court adversity on Friday when Boogaard broke him to lead 3-1 in the second set.
Coached by former Davis Cup hero Wayne Arthurs, Hewitt’s biggest weapons – his serve and forehand, often in combination – are unmistakeable, but he is also comfortable moving forward, volleys well and displays mature shot selection.
The great Andre Agassi regarded Lleyton Hewitt as one of the best on-court decision-makers in the sport, so he has a perfect role model in that regard.
Hewitt was in good touch from the outset on Friday, taking advantage of Boogaard’s nervous start to break him in the third game of the match.
That was all the rising star needed to hold the Dutchman off in the opening set, but there was some spectacular play, including one whipped crosscourt forehand pass winner from a defensive position that left Boogaard stunned at the net.
There was a big “C’mon” for good measure, too.
Boogaard is a year older than Hewitt, already boasts a strong physical frame, and is about 80 spots higher in the men’s rankings, but the Australian was up to the challenge.
Hewitt’s serves were routinely close to 200km/h, and it is not just the speed but the accuracy with which he delivers them that make them so effective. No opponent this week has had an answer for his serving, particularly on Wimbledon’s slick grasscourts.
There was one momentary lapse from Hewitt.
Serving to level the second set at two-all, having failed to convert two break points in the previous game, Hewitt experienced a sloppy few minutes, dropping serve to 15 with four unforced errors.
But like he has the rest of the week, Hewitt responded. An aggressive, deep forehand earned him a break-back point in the next game, and Boogaard crumbled with a double fault.
Hewitt found himself behind the count twice more on serve, but absorbed the pressure then made his move at four-all. With Boogaard trailing 15-30, Hewitt unleashed an enormous inside-out forehand that hurt the Dutchman, then the Australian went again – but this time it went for a winner.
Boogaard sent a forehand long on the next point to concede another break, and Hewitt managed to grit out a tough hold to complete a straight-sets win.
More to come
Marc McGowan travelled to London with Tennis Australia’s support.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
