Like father, like son! Hewitt Cruz-es to win Wimbledon debut
Following in his father's footsteps, but incredibly at a year younger than Lleyton, Hewitt took his highly anticipated first steps on the hallowed grass of The All England Club.
And the 16-year-old showed he could be Australian men's tennis' next big thing, cruising past Russian Savva Rybkin, who has only been beaten eight times in his junior career.
Hewitt claimed a convincing 6-1, 6-2 victory in the first round of the famed junior tournament, eliciting Lleyton's trademark fist pumps from the player's box. Cruz Hewitt of Australia celebrates a break point against Savva Rybkin. Credit: Dan Istitene / Getty Images
The youngster bears an uncanny resemblance to his father, especially in a back-to-front cap, moving around the court swiftly and utilising powerful groundstrokes.
Lleyton featured in the junior draw at Wimbledon in 1998 at 17 years old before going on to win two Grand Slams, one on the famed grass in 2002, less than a year after his first at the 2001 US Open. Cruz Hewitt of Australia plays a forehand against Savva Rybkin. Credit: Dan Istitene / Getty Images
Hewitt Snr remains the last Australian man to claim a Grand Slam title and is the current coach of Australia's Davis Cup team, which he represented when they won their last title in 2003.
His son will next face Finnish 11th seed Oskari Paldanius on Tuesday.
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Courier-Mail
9 minutes ago
- Courier-Mail
Iga Swiatek wins Wimbledon final in 57-minute humiliation of Anisimova
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News. Iga Swiatek demolished Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the most one-sided women's Wimbledon final for 114 years to win her sixth Grand Slam title. The Polish eighth seed was in charge from the first point and wrapped up victory in just 57 minutes in a brutal display of precision hitting on Centre Court. It is the first time a woman has won a final at Wimbledon without dropping a game since 1911, when Britain's Dorothea Lambert Chambers triumphed by the same scoreline. Wimbledon Schedule & Results 2025 wimb K. Siniakova (1) T. Townsend (1) 5 4 S. Hsieh (4) J. Ostapenko (4) 7 6 Complete R. Hijikata D. Pel 2 6 3 J. Cash (5) L. Glasspool (5) 6 7 7 Complete A. Anisimova (13) 0 0 I. Swiatek (8) 6 6 Complete S. Hsieh (4) J. Ostapenko (4) V. Kudermetova (8) E. Mertens (8) Jul 13 7:00AM J. Sinner (1) C. Alcaraz (2) Jul 13 10:00AM View All Results And Swiatek, 24, is just the second player in the Open era to win a major without losing a game in the final since Steffi Graf humbled Natalia Zvereva at the 1988 French Open. 'It seems super surreal,' said Swiatek, who is the first Wimbledon singles champion from Poland and has now won majors on all surfaces. Iga Swiatek of Poland kisses the Ladies Singles Trophy following her victory against Amanda Anisimova to win this year's Wimbledon title. Picture: Getty 'I didn't even dream, for me it was way too far. I feel like I am already an experienced player after winning the Slams before but I never expected this one. 'This year I really, really enjoyed it and feel I improved my form here. 'I am always going to remember the opening of champagne bottles between serves. It is a sound that will keep me awake at night.' Swiatek lost just one set during the entire tournament as she won her first trophy on grass, two weeks after reaching the final of the grass-court event at Bad Homburg. US 13th seed Anisimova was expected to prove a stern test after ousting world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals, but Swiatek performed a demolition job. Anisimova made a nervous start in hot conditions on Centre Court, with Catherine, Princess of Wales, watching from the Royal Box. She was broken in the first game, soon slipping 2-0 behind and the signs looked ominous. The American appeared to have found her feet in her next service game but the merciless Swiatek refused to give ground and recovered to move 3-0 ahead when Anisimova double-faulted. At 4-0 down Anisimova was facing a first-set wipe-out but she was powerless to halt the rampant Swiatek, who sealed the opener 6-0 in just 25 minutes. Amanda Anisimova was trounced in just 57 minutes. Picture: Getty The American won just six points on her serve in the first set and committed 14 unforced errors. An increasingly desperate Anisimova could not stem the tide in the second set, double-faulting again in the third game to give her opponent game point and then netting a backhand. The crowd got behind her but to no avail as Swiatek kept up her level, serving out to win and celebrating before consoling her devastated opponent. Anisimova made 28 unforced errors in the 12 games. Swiatek is Wimbledon's eighth consecutive first-time women's champion since Serena Williams won her seventh and final title at the All England Club in 2016. She has won all six major finals in which she has competed. Swiatek, who now has 100 career Grand Slam match wins, has won the French Open four times and also the US Open, in 2022. Her previous best performance at Wimbledon was a run to the quarter-finals in 2023. The distraught Anisimova left court briefly before returning for the trophy presentation. The American, who lost in qualifying last year, broke down in tears again during her speech on court, calling Swiatek an 'incredible player'. 'I know I didn't have enough today but I'll keep putting in the work,' she said. 'I keep believing in myself and I hope to be back here one day. Thank you everyone.' Originally published as Wimbeldon women's final: Iga Swiatek stuns with 57-minute humiliation of Amanda Anisimova
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Wimbeldon women's final: Iga Swiatek stuns with 57-minute humiliation of Amanda Anisimova
Iga Swiatek demolished Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the most one-sided women's Wimbledon final for 114 years to win her sixth Grand Slam title. The Polish eighth seed was in charge from the first point and wrapped up victory in just 57 minutes in a brutal display of precision hitting on Centre Court. It is the first time a woman has won a final at Wimbledon without dropping a game since 1911, when Britain's Dorothea Lambert Chambers triumphed by the same scoreline. And Swiatek, 24, is just the second player in the Open era to win a major without losing a game in the final since Steffi Graf humbled Natalia Zvereva at the 1988 French Open. 'It seems super surreal,' said Swiatek, who is the first Wimbledon singles champion from Poland and has now won majors on all surfaces. 'I didn't even dream, for me it was way too far. I feel like I am already an experienced player after winning the Slams before but I never expected this one. 'This year I really, really enjoyed it and feel I improved my form here. 'I am always going to remember the opening of champagne bottles between serves. It is a sound that will keep me awake at night.' Swiatek lost just one set during the entire tournament as she won her first trophy on grass, two weeks after reaching the final of the grass-court event at Bad Homburg. US 13th seed Anisimova was expected to prove a stern test after ousting world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals, but Swiatek performed a demolition job. I think this has been far more about Swiatek being great than Anisimova being awful. But either way, it’s lopsided and looking like an all-time beatdown. — Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 12, 2025 Anisimova made a nervous start in hot conditions on Centre Court, with Catherine, Princess of Wales, watching from the Royal Box. She was broken in the first game, soon slipping 2-0 behind and the signs looked ominous. The American appeared to have found her feet in her next service game but the merciless Swiatek refused to give ground and recovered to move 3-0 ahead when Anisimova double-faulted. At 4-0 down Anisimova was facing a first-set wipe-out but she was powerless to halt the rampant Swiatek, who sealed the opener 6-0 in just 25 minutes. The American won just six points on her serve in the first set and committed 14 unforced errors. An increasingly desperate Anisimova could not stem the tide in the second set, double-faulting again in the third game to give her opponent game point and then netting a backhand. The crowd got behind her but to no avail as Swiatek kept up her level, serving out to win and celebrating before consoling her devastated opponent. Anisimova made 28 unforced errors in the 12 games. Swiatek is Wimbledon's eighth consecutive first-time women's champion since Serena Williams won her seventh and final title at the All England Club in 2016. She has won all six major finals in which she has competed. Swiatek, who now has 100 career Grand Slam match wins, has won the French Open four times and also the US Open, in 2022. Her previous best performance at Wimbledon was a run to the quarter-finals in 2023. The distraught Anisimova left court briefly before returning for the trophy presentation. The American, who lost in qualifying last year, broke down in tears again during her speech on court, calling Swiatek an 'incredible player'. 'I know I didn't have enough today but I'll keep putting in the work,' she said. 'I keep believing in myself and I hope to be back here one day. Thank you everyone.'
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon finals defeat makes her Scott of the Antarctic
If Anisimova wasn't hitting the balls into the net, she was hitting them into the front row. She lost the first set 6-0 in just 24 minutes. At one point Swiatek hit nine winners in a row. By mid-way through the second set, the American had lost everything bar the will to live, and even that was debatable. Loading During breaks the 24-year-old sat on her chair, with her towel over her head. I'm not sure if she was crying, but it looked like it between breaks, as she sometimes threw the towel over her head and heaved – taking either deep breaths, or giving out sobs, but it certainly looked like the latter. To put this in football terms for you Neanderthals, it was like witnessing an NRL grand final, or a Bledisloe Cup match, where one side is ahead 75-0 with ten minutes to go. Long gone is the expectation of a comeback – the principal interest is, can the one who is so behind just get a point or two, for the sake of human decency, for mercy's sake? The answer in this case was, yes, with Anisimova scoring a couple of points near the end of the second set. In fact, she even took Swiatek to deuce a couple of times, earning thunderous applause for that achievement alone. Anisimova is well-liked, and her backstory, well known to this passionate tennis crowd, gave the applause an added intensity. In truth, simply reaching the final after her recent turbulent times was extraordinary. This time last year she was ranked 189 in the world. A child prodigy who reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros at just 18, she had since struggled with a series of mental health issues and family problems. But this year had came roaring back - winning again and cutting a swathe through her side of the Wimbledon draw to get to this moment. Until now . . . when it all fell apart. No matter what she did, simply nothing worked, bar the occasional, blistering, cross-court forehand winners. But it was not remotely enough. When Swiatek hit the final winning shot to end the match, it was a mercy to all. She was Poland's first Wimbledon winner ever, and climbed up into the stands to be with her family and coaches. Good luck to her – a very worthy champion. Anisimova sat in her chair, put her towel over her head, and sobbed. When interviewed during the trophy ceremony she sobbed some more. But here was where she was so magnificent, emotional and gracious. She could not have been more congratulatory to Świątek, saying, 'You're such an incredible player. It obviously showed today. You've been such an inspiration to me. An unbelievable athlete. You've had such an incredible two weeks here.' As to the crowd, 'Thank you to everyone who's supported me. It's been an incredible fortnight for me and even though I ran out of gas today and I wish I could have put in a better performance for you today, you guys still lifted me up, so thank you so much.' Thunderous applause. We loved her! Such grace, after such a scarring experience. But now she came to her mother, the woman with the dark glasses, herself heaving in the player's box. 'My mom who flew in this morning, I definitely would not be standing here, if not for her… My mom has put in more work than I have honestly. My mom is the most selfless person I know.' She now stopped to compose herself. 'Guys, I'm so sorry,' she finally continued, before addressing her mother directly. 'Thank you for being here and breaking the superstition of flying in. It's definitely not why I lost today . . .' It was the way she said it. Her self-mocking made it all the more poignant. 'I'm so happy I get to share this moment and for you to witness this in person. I know you don't get to see me live playing that much any more because you do so much for my sister and I. You always have. I love you so much.' Honest. She lost the match, hands-down, pens down, but was so magnificent in the speech this day will be remembered for that more than anything. And besides, it's not as if a hands down drubbing 6-0, 6-0, hasn't happened at Wimbledon before. Yup, that was when Dorothea Lambert Chambers defeated Dora Boothby 6-0, 6-0 – back in 1911 - about the time Amundsen planted the Norwegian flag on the South Pole for the first time in history. But you'd forgotten that! Told yers.
