Hewitt's son Cruz out of Australian Open qualifying at first hurdle / Photo: © AFP
Hewitt's son Cruz out of Australian Open qualifying at first hurdle
The teenage son of former world number one Lleyton Hewitt failed to make it through Australian Open qualifying on Tuesday with Bernard Tomic and French veteran Richard Gasquet among other early casualties.
Nearly 30 years after his father made his first Australian Open with a qualifying wildcard, the 16-year-old Cruz Hewitt was bidding to do the same.
But watched by his parents, he was crushed 6-1, 6-4 by experienced Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili at the first hurdle.
Fellow Australian Tomic, a former world number 17 who is now playing the lower-level Challenger circuit after his game collapsed, was trounced 6-3, 6-1 by Slovakian Jozef Kovalik.
Gasquet was bidding to make an 18th Australian Open main-draw appearance but fell in straight sets to Duje Ajdukovic, who is 15 years his junior at age 23.
"Shout-out to Richard still giving it his all at his age, it's unbelievable,” Ajdukovic said after the match.
Britain's Dan Evans, who has reached a career-high 21, also failed to negotiate qualifying for the opening Grand Slam of the year, which gets under way on Sunday.
S.Collins--TNT
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