Australian tennis star Alex de Minaur will face his 17-year-old protege Cruz Hewitt in the second round of the Washington Open early Friday in Washington, DC.
De Minaur set up the match after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 on Thursday.
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Hewitt, the son of former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, reached the ATP 500 main draw using a qualifying wildcard before defeating 85th-ranked American Marcos Giron.
The victory continues Hewitt's strong momentum following his appearance in the Wimbledon boys' final last month.
Close Bond On and Off Court
De Minaur is closely connected to the teenager through Lleyton Hewitt, who serves as the Australian Davis Cup captain and regularly assists Team Demon at major tournaments.
The two players train together, support each other from the sidelines, and regularly share Christmas celebrations.
Before the second-round matchup was set, Hewitt spoke about his long-standing personal relationship with de Minaur. "He's like my older brother.
I've known him basically my whole life," said Hewitt.
Hewitt detailed their close personal bond off the court, including spending holidays together. "He's stayed with us.
We have Christmas together also.
He's taught me so much – I think that would be a pretty cool memory for us," said Hewitt.
Handling the Spotlight
De Minaur addressed the unique expectations placed on the young Australian as the son of a former world champion.
"I think there's got to be a lot of respect shown to [Cruz] because it's definitely not easy being an ex-No.1 in the world's son," said de Minaur, world No. 6 tennis player.
