Qualifier Jordan Lee kept his run alive at Wimbledon on Friday, beating Vincent Reisach 6-3, 6-2 on show court 12 to reach the boys final. The 16-year-old from Orlando will meet Cruz Hewitt on Sunday for the title.
That sets up a final between two Wimbledon debutants in the junior singles event, with Lee and Hewitt each coming through a draw that has already produced its share of surprises. Lee opened by beating No. 5 seed Yannick Alexandrescou 6-0, 6-2, then moved past Reisach in straight sets to book his place in the championship match.
The result carried an edge because Lee had seen Reisach recently in a very different setting. He said the pair played doubles last week and that he got destroyed, but Friday’s singles meeting turned out the other way. Lee said Reisach is a good player, added that he really does not know much about Hewitt, and noted after watching a couple of points against Thijs Boogaard that both players looked sharp.
Hewitt reached the final with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Boogaard, who had the best ATP ranking in the boys field at 525. Hewitt, whose own ATP ranking of 606 is second best in the draw, trailed 3-1 in the second set before recovering to finish in straight sets. He said his main coach is Wayne Arthurs and that his father, Lleyton Hewitt, is in his corner offering positive support rather than specific instructions. Hewitt said his dad is there to back him up, that every time he looks over he sees positivity, and that he uses that energy on court.
The final now matches a qualifier still early in his junior Grand Slam life against the son of the 2002 Wimbledon champion. That contrast gives Sunday’s match a clean edge: Lee has already shown he can wipe away one bad memory against Reisach, while Hewitt has shown he can steady himself after falling behind. One of them leaves Wimbledon with a title; the other leaves with a run that announced him fast.
