The Australian Open has never lacked for big moments under the spotlight. And just weeks out of the first major of the year, the qualifying list has already created the buzz. This time, twenty-four Australians will compete in the Australian Open qualifying next month, all chasing a spot in the main draw of their home Grand Slam. But, among the others, a familiar name stood out.

Cruz Hewitt, son of former world No. 1 and Australian tennis icon Lleyton Hewitt, has earned a wildcard into the qualifying draw.

The invitation marks a major checkpoint in Hewitt’s young career. At just 17 years old, he has already notched wins at the Challenger level and now gets his first real shot at breaking into a Grand Slam main draw.

Cruz Hewitt entered the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time on September 9 last year and reached a career-high ranking of No. 1,245 in November. Now ranked No. 734, he will be the lowest-ranked player in the men’s singles qualifying draw at the Australian Open. When he steps onto the court in Melbourne, it will mark his first appearance at a Grand Slam event as a professional.

However, for those who missed, the young Australian showed early promise in 2025 at the Australian Open juniors. He opened the tournament with a win over qualifier Kim Moo-been but was stopped in the second round by Jan Kumstát, who won 6-3, 7-6. His run in Paris then ended in the third round, where he lost a tight three-set match to Pierluigi Basile, 7-6, 5-7, 6-3.

At Wimbledon, Hewitt enjoyed one of his stronger performances, rolling past Savva Rybkin 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of the boys’ singles. But his campaign ended in the second round against 11th seed Oskari Paldanius. The US Open proved tougher, as he exited in the opening round after a 6-3, 6-0 loss to fourth seed Benjamin Willwerth.

Anyway, Cruz Hewitt is not the only young name in the Australian Open qualifying mix. Fellow Australian Jordan Thompson is also included, along with 2025 Next Gen finalist Alexander Blockx. Several other players have received wildcards as well, including Swiss teenager Henry Bernet, a prospect who has already drawn comparisons to Roger Federer.

Familiar faces enter Australian Open qualifying

After just missing out on an Australian Open 2026 wildcard through the Australian Pro Tour, Alex Bolt is now set on fighting his way into the main draw through qualifying. Bolt finished level with James Duckworth in the Pro Tour points race, but Duckworth secured the wildcard thanks to a higher ATP singles ranking. Now 32, Bolt is aiming to return to the Australian Open main draw for the first time in four years.

Several other notable Australian names are also in the men’s qualifying field. Bernard Tomic, Jason Kubler, James McCabe, and Dane Sweeny all feature after solid Pro Tour performances. Tomic is chasing his first main-draw appearance at Melbourne Park in five years, while Jordan Thompson enters qualifying as a seed, looking to extend his run of 40 consecutive Grand Slam singles main-draw appearances.

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A strong Australian presence is also reflected in the wildcard entries. Li Tu, Cruz Hewitt, Moerani Bouzige, Philip Sekulic, Edward Winter, and Pavle Marinkov have all received wildcards into men’s qualifying.

In the women’s draw, meanwhile, Storm Hunter headlines the wildcard recipients as she attempts to return to Grand Slam singles competition. The 31-year-old last played singles at a major at the Australian Open in 2024, where she reached the round of 32. A successful qualifying run would mark her first major singles appearance since rupturing her Achilles in April 2024.

Moreover, she is joined by fellow Australians Astra Sharma, Maddison Inglis, Olivia Gadecki, Arina Rodionova, and wildcard entrants Destanee Aiava, Lizette Cabrera, Tina Smith, Elena Micic, Alana Subasic, Tahlia Kokkinis, and Renee Alame when qualifying begins on January 12.

That said, can Cruz Hewitt turn his wildcard opportunity into a breakthrough moment at his home Grand Slam? What do you think?