De Minaur Defends Washington Open Title Over Rising Star Cruz Hewitt

Defending champion Alex de Minaur, world No. 6, defeated 17-year-old qualifier Cruz Hewitt 6-2, 6-3 in the Washington Open second round. The Australian veteran broke Hewitt’s serve early, built a 5-0 lead in the first set and closed it out at 6-2. Hewitt recovered briefly in the sixth game but could not overturn the deficit, and the second set followed a similar pattern, ending in 61 minutes of play. The win advanced de Minaur to a quarter-final against American Brandon Nakashima.

ESPNTaipei TimesDe Minaur Defeats Hewitt in All-Aussie Clash for Washington, DC Quarterfinal Return – Tennis Now Nine.com.au‘It was weird’: de Minaur beats Hewitt in Aussie tussle Demon’s perfect net message for Cruz Hewitt as Aussies respond over ‘weird’ showdown

The match marked de Minaur’s seventh consecutive victory at the Washington, D.C. event, extending his title defence from the previous year. It was also Hewitt’s ATP Tour debut; the teenager had recently been a Wimbledon boys’ finalist and had secured his first main-draw win in the opening round. Hewitt is the son of former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt, who watched the encounter from the stands. De Minaur had married British WTA player Katie Boulter earlier in the month, adding a personal milestone to his on-court success.

Nine.com.au

• Final score: 6-2, 6-3.

Taipei Times

• Match duration: 61 minutes.

De Minaur Defeats Hewitt in All-Aussie Clash for Washington, DC Quarterfinal Return – Tennis Now

• De Minaur’s season record improved to 29-14.

‘It was weird’: de Minaur beats Hewitt in Aussie tussle

• Hewitt, after qualifying and winning his first ATP match, is projected to climb roughly 252 spots to a career-high near world No. 360.

ESPN

De Minaur described the encounter as “definitely weird” because he had long known Hewitt as a younger brother-figure and did not expect to meet on tour so soon. He emphasized managing emotions and praised Hewitt’s handling of the spotlight, urging the tennis world to allow the teenager to develop at his own pace.

Demon’s perfect net message for Cruz Hewitt as Aussies respond over ‘weird’ showdown

Cruz Hewitt called the match “a very special moment,” noting his lifelong admiration for de Minaur and expressing gratitude for sharing the court with his mentor.

ESPN

• “It was definitely weird. I knew I was going to play him on the Tour some day, but I didn’t actually expect it to be this week,” — De Minaur, defending champion – Alex de Minaur, defending champion

Demon’s perfect net message for Cruz Hewitt as Aussies respond over ‘weird’ showdown

• “Yeah, that was a very special match, special moment I think for both of us,” — Cruz Hewitt, DC champion – Cruz Hewitt, DC champion

De Minaur Defeats Hewitt in All-Aussie Clash for Washington, DC Quarterfinal Return – Tennis Now

• “For me, it was all about heart tonight,” — Ben Shelton – Ben Shelton, second seed (on his own match)

Taipei Times

• “I wasn’t quite attacking the ball, and I felt like once I did that, then everything else kind of started to click together,” — Jessica Pegula – Jessica Pegula (on her own match)

Taipei Times

De Minaur’s quarter-final opponent is American Brandon Nakashima, who upset seventh-seed Jakub Mensik earlier in the tournament. Hewitt, now ranked around world No. 360, will look to build on his debut performance and aims for a wildcard or qualification entry into the Australian Open in January.

ESPN