Cruz Hewitt enjoyed a memorable day at the Sydney Challenger. The 16-year-old competed in the second round of the singles draw and blew two match points in a tight 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 defeat to Japan's Hayato Matsuoka.
The more experienced player denied two match points on serve in the tenth game of the final set and grabbed a late break in the next one that carried him over the top.
Cruz failed to reach his first Challenger quarter-final but secured a notable victory in the first round of the doubles draw. He stepped onto the court with his father, Lleyton, who returned to action for the first time since the 2020 Australian Open.
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The Hewitts produceda one-sided 6-0, 6-1 victory over the young guns Pavle Marinkov and Hayden Jones in 46 minutes!The father and son dominated behind the first serve and denied all four break points.
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Teenagers struggled to find the first serve and gave away nearly 60% of the points in their games. They faced six break points and got broken five times, with Lleyton landing a volley winner in the last game to send his team over the top.
Cruz almost celebrated double delight, but he could not make that final push in his singles match. The Japanese fired 16 aces and claimed three points more than the 16-year-old.
Matsuoka saved eight of ten break points and provided three breaks to emerge at the top. Hewitt denied break points in the second game of the duel and stole the rival's serve in the next one.
Hewitt served well until the tenth game when Hayato pulled the break back with a return winner. The Aussie kept his composure and delivered a break at love at 5-5. The home player held at love in game 12 to close the opener in 49 minutes.
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The Japanese erased a 40-15 deficit in the sixth game of the second set and earned a break with a volley winner for a 4-2 advantage. Matsuoka saved four break points in games seven and nine, drawing Cruz's mistake on a set point and introducing a decider after an hour and a half.
They served well in the opening nine games of the final set. Hayato faced two match points on serve in the tenth game and saved them with service winners. He held and gained a boost.
The Japanese stepped in on the return at 5-5 and landed a backhand winner to deliver the crucial break. Matsuoka converted the third match point at 6-5 to emerge at the top and end the young gun's campaign.
