Every tennis player will go through trials and tribulations when they are a young player. Often, future success is based on how a player reacts to those losses. For 17-year-old Cruz Hewitt, he was taught a brutal lesson in the second round of the 2026 Citi Open by fellow Australian Alex de Minaur.
The first set was especially dreadful for Lleyton Hewitt's son. He did bounce back a bit near the end, and he never stopped striking the ball with force, so maybe he will have some positive takeaways from that. Falling down 0-5, though, is a difficult spot.
The young Hewitt wasn't necessarily playing poorly, but he was playing at the level his age would imply. He hit the ball hard, but had zero nuance. He moved around the court well, but didn't understand how to build points. Hewitt likely will learn how to do those things well, but he needs lessons like the one de Minaur taught to be able to reach a high level in the future.
Alex de Minaur too good for Cruz Hewitt in the second round of the 2026 Citi Open
The upside for Hewitt is that he did adapt more quickly in the second set. He got broken midway through, but the set certainly wasn't a runaway. He kept nipping at de Minaur's heels, putting pressure on the older Australian to keep holding.
Hewitt also made the service holds of de Minaur harder to get. The 17-year-old wasn't going to win the match, but he was never expected to. What he gleaned from the match was far more important than simply winning it. One learns more from their failures than their successes, after all.
The second set eventually had de Minaur leading 5-3, and Hewitt serving. The younger Aussie's uptick in form was brief and bright, but couldn't last throughout the set. De Minaur got an easy break of Hewitt and took the set 6-3 and the match along with it.
Cruz Hewitt certainly had no reason to feel too bad about his form. He had done well, but he was inexperienced. One day, he won't be, and he will be a force to be reckoned with.
Next for Alex de Minaur, though, is American Brandon Nakashima in the quarterfinals. The Aussie is the defending Citi Open champion and playing well enough to win again in 2026.
