LONDON — Jordan Lee, a 16-year-old American qualifier, etched his name into tennis history on Sunday by becoming only the second qualifier ever to win the boys' singles title at Wimbledon, rallying past Australia's Cruz Hewitt 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a dramatic final at the All England Club.
Lee, who entered the tournament unseeded and had to win three qualifying matches just to reach the main draw, produced a performance of remarkable composure to overcome the 17-year-old Hewitt — the son of 2002 Wimbledon men's champion Lleyton Hewitt — on No. 1 Court.
The victory places Lee in an exclusive bracket. He is the first qualifier to win any Grand Slam boys' tournament since Noah Rubin accomplished the feat at Wimbledon in 2014. Moreover, he is the first American to lift the boys' singles trophy at the All England Club since Samir Banerjee in 2021.
The final was a gripping contest of shifting momentum. Hewitt drew first blood, claiming the opening set 6-4 with measured aggression from the baseline as Lleyton Hewitt watched from the stands. But Lee responded in the second set, levelling the match at one set apiece with a 6-4 scoreline of his own.
In the deciding set, Hewitt seized an early break and appeared to have the title within reach. Lee, however, refused to yield. The American broke back to level at 4-4, and then produced one more break in the final game. Serving for the match, Lee sealed victory with a backhand winner down the line on his first championship point.
Speaking on court after the match, an emotional Lee reflected on the journey that brought him to the sport's most famous grass courts.
"Standing here with the trophy means a lot because very few people know what I've been through this past year and a half, dealing with a lot of injuries," Lee said. "A year ago at this time I was sitting at home on the couch, didn't know if I was going to play tennis again."
His comeback from injury, his qualifying run, and his triumph over a higher-profile opponent mark Lee as one of the most compelling prospects to emerge from the junior circuit this year. For Cruz Hewitt, there is consolation in reaching the final of a Grand Slam junior event at just 17 — following in the footsteps of his father — and he will undoubtedly feature prominently in the professional ranks in years to come.
But Sunday belonged to Jordan Lee, the American teenager who turned adversity into triumph on the intimate stage of No. 1 Court, and who now carries the hopes of a nation into the next generation of American tennis.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/wimbledon-juniors-boys-title-jordan-lee-hewitt-665d4fa8b4828d68da162ecae9859d20
