Cruz Hewitt, the son of former world No. 1 Lleyton, came up short in his bid to reach the Australian Open main draw when he was beaten 6-1, 6-4 by Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round of qualifying Tuesday.

The 16-year-old Cruz Hewitt made his professional Australian Open debut. Lleyton's son faced the former top-2o player Nikoloz Basilashvili on Court 3 and suffered a 6-1, 6-4 defeat in an hour and 13 minutes.

Cruz Hewitt's first foray into senior grand slam tennis ended with a swift reality check, but glimpses of his exciting potential were on display for a packed-out crowd at Melbourne Park.

The teenager, who has been warming up with Jannik Sinner at Melbourne Park, received a wildcard to Australian Open qualifying

Cruz Hewitt has crashed out of Australian Open qualifying with a straight-sets loss to Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round on Tuesday. The 16-year-old was bidding to become the youngest player to make the main draw since his father Lleyton qualified for the 1997 tournament a month shy of his 16th birthday.

Veteran Bernard Tomic and 16-year old Cruz Hewitt have both made quick exits from the Australian Open qualifiers as the duo both fell in straight sets in the first round.

Cruz Hewitt, the son of former world number one Lleyton, came up short in his bid to reach the Australian Open main draw on Tuesday when he was beaten 6-1 6-4 by Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round of qualifying.

The 16-year-old could not follow in his father’s footsteps to qualify for the first grand slam of the year as a teenager, with Lleyton Hewitt a qualifier in 1997 as a 15-year-old