Latest news with #juniorTennis
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Cruz Hewitt ‘valiant' in opening round French Open defeat
Cruz Hewitt has given a glimpse of his old man's famous fighting spirit in his first round match at the French Open. The son of Lleyton Hewitt had stormed through qualifying to secure a spot in the junior boys' tournament at Roland Garros. Watch every game of The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. Cruz took on Italian Pierluigi Basile overnight on Sunday in a hard fought match, ultimately going down 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-3. A very tight first set was claimed by Basile, who is two years older than Hewitt and higher in the world junior rankings. But the 16-year-old Aussie fought back to win the second set on Court No. 4, with Cruz revving up the crowd with a gritty performance reminiscent of his dad. Basile had too much firepower and went on to win the third set, claiming the marathon match in two hours and 10 minutes as Cruz fell short of the second round. The teenager made the second round of the Australian Open juniors in January, where he lost in the first round in qualifiers for the men's tournament. Tennis Australia said Hewitt, the world No. 41 junior, was 'valiant' in his first round loss, recording 10 aces in the defeat. There has been mixed success for Australia's contingent at the French Open, with Alex de Minaur losing in five sets in the second round to Alexander Bublik. Alexei Popyrin progressed to the fourth round before suffering a 6-3 6-3 6-3 defeat to American Tommy Paul. In the women's draw, newly adopted Australia Daria Kasatkina takes on Russian teen sensation Mirra Andreeva in the fourth round on Monday night (AEST). Another Aussie, Ty Host takes on the USA's Benjamin Willwerth in their boys' singles first round. In the girls' singles first round, Australia's Emerson Jones is the top seed and will take on American qualifier Capucine Jauffet. Jones, who has been mentioned as Ash Barty's successor, is aiming to reach her third junior grand slam final after reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open. Australian boys' No. 2 Ty Host opens his account against reigning Australian Open boys' finalist Benjamin Willwerth. Host hopes to become the first Australian boys' singles champion in France since Popyrin in 2017.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Lleyton Hewitt's son Cruz suffers big setback in his quest to follow in his dad's footsteps
Cruz Hewitt has rekindled memories of his dad Lleyton's battling heyday as he went down fighting in his first-round contest in the boys' event at the French Open. The 16-year-old son of Australia's former world No.1, who had gone through qualifying to make the event at Roland Garros, proved a handful on Sunday for Italian Pierluigi Basile, two years his senior and higher-placed in the world junior standings, before succumbing 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-3. Hewitt lost the tightest of opening sets on a breaker and looked practically down and out as Basile served for the match at 5-3 in the second set and earned a match point at 5-4, but the Sydney youngster fought tigerishly to turn it around and take the match into a decider. The Italian had the superior firepower but Hewitt wouldn't lie down, revving up the the galleries packed round the tight court No.4 with the sort of crowd-rousing exhortations taken straight from his father's book. Ultimately, he lost in two hours 10 minutes, unable to reach the second round as he had done at the junior event in January at the Australian Open, where he also lost in the first round in the qualifiers for the senior event. The loss marked Cruz's grand slam return after his time at this year's tournament in Melbourne was marked by controversy surrounding him and fellow Aussie Nick Kyrgios. Kyrgios was accused of harassing Hewitt over a photo the youngster posted to social media showing him posing with world No.1 Jannik Sinner, who was awaiting his punishment for breaching anti-doping rules at the time. Kyrgios, who has been a vocal critic of Sinner, was not happy at seeing the 16-year-old with the Italian. Kyrgios commented under Cruz's post: 'Love ya Cruz but this is wild', then later adding 'Cooked post' with a needle emoji. The Aussie firebrand also wrote: 'Thought we were boys' with several broken-heart emojis, with his comments drawing heavy fire from tennis fans and great of the game Andy Roddick. Kyrgios later explained that he's good friends with Cruz and his remarks were a joke between the pair. On Monday, 16-year-old Emerson Jones, the world's No.2 female junior, kicks off her campaign as top seed in the girls' event against US qualifier Capucine Jauffret, while the other Australian in the boys' tournament Ty Host will face US sixth seed Benjamin Willwerth. Hewitt wasn't the only son of a famous player to feature in Sunday's program, with fifth seed Jagger Leach, whose mother is American former triple grand slam winner Lindsay Davenport, beating Kazakh Zangar Nurlanuly 6-1 1-6 6-0.
BreakingNews.ie
25-05-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Victoria Mboko continues rapid rise by winning on grand slam debut
Teenager Victoria Mboko is the first breakout star at this year's French Open after reaching round two on her grand slam debut. The 18-year-old from Canada, whose parents emigrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo due to political conflict before she was born, came through qualifying without dropping a set. Advertisement Ranked 333 at the start of the year, Mboko took to the court at 11am on the opening Sunday at Roland Garros and showed no sign of nerves in a 6-1 7-6 (4) win over New Zealander Lulu Sun, the world number 45 who beat Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon last July. It was Mboko's 38th win of the season and she has lost just five matches, two of which were three-set battles with top-10 players Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff. Now ranked 120, Mboko's rapid upward trajectory means she is well in with a chance of qualifying directly into the Wimbledon main draw later this summer. 'I didn't expect the whole thing, honestly,' she said. 'I mean, even to be here and playing even the quallies, I was so excited to be in a grand slam for the first ever time. Advertisement 'I remember coming here as a junior, watching the older girls play. It was such a great experience. I'm happy I experienced it in the juniors so that it kind of prepared me for the professional level. 'The whole thing is honestly kind of a surprise. I mean, now I'm here, I feel like I can do something with it and make the most of it. Mboko will meet German number one Eva Lys in the second round on Wednesday. World number one Aryna Sabalenka is safely through after opening proceedings on Court Philippe-Chatrier, taking exactly one hour to dispatch Russian Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1 6-0. Advertisement The 27-year-old from Belarus said: 'I'm super happy with the win today. Super happy with the level. 'It was amazing playing out there. I can't wait to play another match on this beautiful stadium.'
