Cruz Hewitt is cruising towards the Wimbledon juniors final after an almost flawless quarterfinal win late Friday night (AEST).
Hewitt completely overwhelmed ninth seed Dimitar Kisimov in a 6-1 6-2 victory in just 53 minutes, dominating the ace count (10-1) and winners (22-7).
It’s the 17-year-old’s best ever result at a major and puts him in a semifinal against Dutch wunderkind Thijs Boogaard.
Boogaard, 18, has long been seen as a future star after winning his first ATP point at age 14 and last month only narrowly lost to Daniil Medvedev in a 6-3 4-6 7-6 (8-6) that showed his readiness to step up to senior ranks.
But Hewitt will enter the match-up full of confidence after dealing with Kisimov the day after demolishing No. 2 seed Jamie Mackenzie on Wednesday (AEST).
With dad Lleyton and mum Bec watching from the stands, Hewitt won the first five games of the match and never looked back.
Hewitt had not played a junior event since last year’s US Open, but has looked a totally different player this tournament.
He cruised through the opening rounds blowing away New Zealand-born German Mackenzie, 6-3 6-4 in just under 70 minutes.
Hewitt is the first Australian to make it into the last four in the boys’ event since Alex de Minaur a decade ago, and he has done so without dropping a single set.
On that occasion, de Minaur reached the final but was beaten by Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
It’s a massive improvement for Hewitt, who last year won his debut match before losing in straight sets to 11th-seeded Finn Oskari Paldanius.
His famous father was in the stands watching on and was the first to head down to congratulate him after his latest triumph.
And now the teenager has his sights on going all the way at the All England Club.
“Every tournament, you come in and you hope to win it, but I’m just here taking it one match at a time,” Hewitt said after the win against Mackenzie.
“So far, three matches and I’ve enjoyed playing every one.
“So next match, I’ll try and do the same and then we’ll see how it goes.”
Cruz also said that having his father to help him prepare has been a huge boost.
“I’ve warmed up with him every day, so he helps me a lot. Obviously, having him on the sidelines has helped, just to support me being there. I’m grateful for him in my corner,” he said.
Whatever he is doing is clearly working as Hewitt looks a completely different prospect in 2026, and his performance caught the eyes of the tennis world.
“That’s the best I’ve seen Cruz Hewitt play in a long time … he feels more consistent/stable,” Mackenzie Boe wrote on X after Cruz’s round-of-16 win.
“That’s the best I’ve seen him play, period. He looks more filled out than even at the start of this year,” another replied.
Hewitt is also a fan favourite, drawing massive crowds every time he steps out on court.
At his last 16 match, Swiss maestro Roger Federer’s twin daughters, Myla and Charlene, were courtside cheering the Aussie on.
He also has stayed post-match to sign autographs for several minutes after each of his wins, showcasing his huge popularity.
Hewitt is now ranked 606th in the senior ATP rankings and will be hoping to secure his first junior major title later this week.
