Challenger
Hewitt father-son duo drops one game in Sydney Challenger debut
Hewitts to play again Thursday
November 19, 2025
Kelly Defina/Getty Images
Lleyton Hewitt and Cruz Hewitt, pictured above at this year’s Australian Open, are competing at the Sydney Challenger.
By ATP Staff
Lleyton Hewitt came out of retirement Wednesday to partner his 16-year-old son Cruz Hewitt in doubles, and the duo made an emphatic start. The father-son team, competing at the NSW Open in Sydney, earned a convincing 6-1, 6-0 victory against 19-year-old Aussies Hayden Jones and Pavle Marinkov.
Now into the quarter-finals at the ATP Challenger Tour event, Lleyton and Cruz will face another Australian team in Calum Puttergill and Dane Sweeny. Lleyton and Cruz’s opening match at the hard-court event came on the 24-year anniversary of when Lleyton first climbed to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings (19 November 2001).
A day they’ll never forget 🇦🇺✨
Lleyton Hewitt comes out of retirement to team up with his son Cruz as they cruise to a 6-1, 6-0 debut win in Sydney!#ATPChallenger | @TennisAustralia pic.twitter.com/e00TkW15PE
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 19, 2025
The pair received a wild card into the Sydney Challenger, where Cruz also competed in the singles main draw and earned a victory, his second career win at that level.
Fans can watch the father-son team Thursday on Challenger TV not before 5 p.m. local time / 1 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. CST. The stream can also be viewed below.
