On Wednesday, the Australian Open published the men’s and women’s qualifying entry lists for the 2026 tournament.
On the men’s side, a number of recognisable names feature on the list. Australian star Jordan Thompson is included, as is 2025 Next Gen finalist Alexander Blockx.
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Various players have also received wildcards for Australian Open qualifying, including Henry Bernet – the Swiss youngster who has been compared to Roger Federer.
Another notable name on the list is Cruz Hewitt – the son of former world number one Lleyton Hewitt.
Cruz Hewitt is set to feature in Australian Open qualifying
Cruz Hewitt, 17, has received a wildcard spot for Australian Open qualifying.
Cruz is the son of Lleyton Hewitt, an Australian sporting icon who won Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon and the US Open during his career.
Remarkably, Lleyton recently made his return to the professional circuit at the age of 44, partnering Cruz [pictured above, centre] in doubles at a Challenger event in Sydney.
The pair stormed to victory in their first round match, defeating Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov 6-1, 6-0. The Australian pair lost in the quarter-finals to Calum Puttergill and Dane Sweeny.
The pair have since been tipped to receive an Australian Open wildcard for the Men’s Doubles event.
Cruz, currently ranked 734 in the world, will be the lowest-ranked player in Australian Open Men’s Singles qualifying.
Furthermore, when the young Australian steps onto court in Melbourne, it will mark his first appearance at a Grand Slam event as a professional player.
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How did Cruz Hewitt perform at junior Grand Slam events in 2025?
Cruz began 2025 on a strong note, defeating qualifier Kim Moo-been in the first round of the Australian Open Boys’ Singles tournament. However, he was then defeated by Jan Kumstát in the second round, 6-3, 7-6.
In Paris, Cruz failed to advance past the third round, losing to Pierluigi Basile in three close sets, 7-6, 5-7, 6-3.
A month later, Hewitt comprehensively defeated Savva Rybkin 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of the Wimbledon Boys’ Singles event. In the second round, the Australian youngster lost to 11th seed Oskari Paldanius.
At the US Open, Cruz again fell in the first round, losing to fourth seed Benjamin Willwerth, 6-3, 6-0.
