Cruz Hewitt has reached his first Wimbledon junior final after winning his semifinal on Friday. The 17-year-old Australian, son of former Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt, defeated Dutch wunderkind Thijs Boogaard 6-4, 6-4. Hewitt became the first Australian to reach the Wimbledon boys’ final since Alex de Minaur in 2016. Lleyton Hewitt, his wife Bec, and their daughter Ava watched nervously from the player’s box as Cruz fired serves approaching 125 mph. Lleyton Hewitt, 45, holds two Grand Slam singles titles, the 2001 U.S. Open and the 2002 Wimbledon Championships, as well as one men’s doubles title at the 2000 U.S. Open. Roger Federer’s children, including 16-year-old twin daughters Myla and Charlene, were among other stars cheering Cruz on throughout the match. “I’m really happy with my performance today,” Cruz said afterward to Stan Sport. “I was very level-headed and stayed pretty composed throughout the whole match.” He will face American Jordan Lee in Sunday’s final. Despite reaching the championship match, he will not receive prize money because International Tennis Federation rules prohibit junior players from earning tournament prize money. For now, the teenager is playing purely for the Wimbledon title and the chance to step out of his father’s shadow.
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