Overview
- De Minaur defeated 17-year-old Cruz Hewitt 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Washington Open quarterfinals in a one-hour match on Thursday.
- At the net after the match de Minaur told Hewitt, “We’re going to play for the next ten years of our lives,” a moment captured alongside visible warmth and some admitted awkwardness.
- Cruz Hewitt reached the Washington main draw through qualifying and recorded his first ATP Tour match win before losing to de Minaur.
- The result confirmed a big ranking jump for Cruz, who is projected to move near world No. 368 after gaining 75 points from the event.
- De Minaur now meets Brandon Nakashima in the last eight, while Cruz is expected to return to lower‑tier events to build on his breakthrough and is being discussed as a possible Australian Open wildcard candidate.