Hewett struggled on serve for long spells, serving three double faults in his opening service game, six in the first set and 10 in all during the match.
Speaking on court after his loss, the 28-year-old – who won the singles crown in 2024 – said: “Right now, I’m extremely disappointed.
“I was on a high yesterday, it was an incredible match with Gordon and this match won’t overshadow that performance.
“It’s not the performance I wanted today, I don’t think Tokito read the script. Congratulations to him and his team, that’s three Grand Slams now [in 2026] so I know what his goal will be going into the US Open. Hopefully someone can stop him.
“He’s a incredible player and demonstrated that again today, so massive congratulations.”
