'Wasn't expecting it': Rival spills the beans in new revelation after Cruz Hewitt drama
Despite falling short in the final, the 16-year-old Cruz still claimed his first trophy (albeit a runner-up one) in senior tennis. Cruz is currently ranked World No.1175 on the ATP Tour, but his charge to the final saw him beat World No.225 Yu Hsiou Hsu and former top-200 player Dane Sweeney.
He also produced a commendable display against Kubler, who was ranked as high as World No.63 in 2023 before injuries saw him plummet. Kubler is currently ranked 445, but made the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2022.
For Cruz to only lose the second set by one break of serve says a lot, and Kubler was impressed by his level. Speaking to 'The First Serve' program on SEN radio, Kubler said he noticed a marked difference in Cruz's game since hitting with the teenager just a few months ago.
"I hit with him at the Gold Coast Future at the end of last year," Kubler said. "The difference now, man... it almost feels like he's understanding tennis a lot more.
"Obviously [that was] in practice so it was a bit different, but I felt like his understanding of when not to miss, understanding of when to go for it [was impressive]. Even I felt out there - which I wasn't expecting - was his management of time between points. Sometimes I looked up and he was ready to serve, and then other times he takes a bit longer. I was actually very impressed by that.
"His shot tolerance was very high. At the beginning, we had some really long rallies, and I was thinking, 'He's a bit younger, maybe there could be some errors coming', but he was incredibly solid."
Cruz has big plans to follow in his father's footsteps and forge a successful tennis career of his own. 'It was a great week,' he said after the final. 'I'm really pleased with the tennis I'm playing now. Every match (I) try to learn something, try and learn from mistakes and keep getting better every day.'
If Cruz keeps performing the way he did in Launceston, he'll go a long way to disproving the naysayers who believe he's been helped along by father Lleyton. There were nasty claims of 'nepotism' at the Australian Open when Cruz was given a wildcard into the qualifying tournament for the main draw. He lost in straight sets in the first round to veteran player Nikoloz Basilashvili.
But leading sports psychologist Alan Mantle told Yahoo Sport Australia that Cruz needs to block out the noise and forge his own path. "Nepotism is a very hurtful word," Mantle said in January. "I believe anyone who plays at that top level has got there on their own merits. I'd be very surprised if favours were being done for sons or daughters of famous parents.
"What I would say to Cruz is that when he hears that word (nepotism) he needs to think it's just what someone is saying about you, but it doesn't mean it is you. It's reputation versus character. Character is what you form about yourself and a reputation is something that other people form about you.
"The white noise is always going to be there for him and that's something he won't be able to control. But he can control how he is going to process it and filter it. He has already shown a great deal of resilience to get where he is and that will hold him in good stead into the future."
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