Cruz Hewitt has been dealt a difficult hand in his bid to qualify for the Australian Open and will be forced to face a World No.16 in the first round. The 16-year-old Cruz is trying to emulate famous father Lleyton and qualify for the Australian Open main draw, and has been handed a wildcard into the qualifying tournament.

It already seemed a difficult task for Cruz to qualify, but he was handed a horror draw for his first match on Tuesday. The 16-year-old will have to play Nikoloz Basilashvili from Georgia.

The 32-year-old Basilashvili is currently ranked 208 in the world, but was previously as high as No.16. The Georgian has five career titles on the ATP Tour and will be a nightmare to face for Cruz.

Hewitt recently failed to qualify for the Canberra International after losing 6-7 (9-11) 1-6 to World No.198 Brandon Holt. The teenager had three set points in the first-set tie-breaker and then ran out of steam in the second.

His chances against Basilashvili appears slim, but the Georgian has been plagued by injuries over the last two years and hasn’t played a competitive match since November. Hewitt will need to win three-straight matches in qualifying to make the Australian Open main draw.

Lleyton Hewitt opens up on son Cruz’s tennis journey

Cruz is currently World No.107 in the junior ranks (and 1264 overall) and was knocked out in the first round of the junior boys tournament at the Australian Open in 2024. He’s expected to feature in the junior tournament again in 2025, but will look to step up his transition to senior tennis by attempting to qualify for the main draw.

It comes 28 years after father Lleyton debuted at Melbourne Park as a 15-year-old in the main draw. Speaking at the Newcombe Medal earlier this month, Cruz said he’s trying to forge his own path and won’t be relying on his former World No.1 father. “It is what it is, but I don’t really mind,” he said. “It just drives me to be better. I like to bring the energy. And (to) serve – I love hitting forehands as well. I love Ben Shelton and I love (now-retired) Dominic Thiem.”

Lleyton noted the inevitable comparisons, saying: “Oh, they’ve already been there – ever since he picked up a racquet. He’s just got to enjoy it as much as possible and make it fun. He’s been doing great so far. It’s hard to know how he’ll end up. But he’s a good shot-maker. He’s got a little bit more firepower than probably I did, but, yeah, it’s a long journey, absolutely.

“It’s getting harder and harder to jump onto the men’s tour at such a young age and to make that transition. So he’s just got to enjoy it. And it’s stepping stones, it’s about always trying to keep improving.”

Cruz Hewitt photo with Jannik Sinner angers Nick Kyrgios

Cruz stepped onto Rod Laver Arena for a hit with World No.1 Jannik Sinner last weekend, and posed for a photo with the Italian star. But it prompted a seemingly furious swipe from Nick Kyrgios, who has continually attacked Sinner after he failed a drug test but escaped a ban last year.