Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep and 16-year-old Cruz Hewitt, the son of Hall of Famer Lleyton Hewitt, have been awarded wild-card entries for the upcoming Australian Open qualifying event in January.
Halep, 33, is working her way back from a suspension due to a doping case that kept her out of competition for over 18 months. The Romanian star, who was the runner-up at Melbourne Park in 2018 and a major winner at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2019, has fallen to No. 877 in the rankings after not competing in any Grand Slam events since 2022. Despite her extended absence, Halep’s return to qualifying for the Australian Open marks an important step in her comeback to the sport.
Cruz Hewitt, ranked outside the top 1,000, follows in the footsteps of his father Lleyton, a two-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1. Lleyton made his Australian Open debut in 1997 at the age of 15, receiving a wild card for the qualifying rounds. Hewitt retired in 2016 and the International Tennis Hall of Fame inducted him in 2021. He currently serves as Australia’s Davis Cup captain.
The wild-card entries for the men’s qualifying event, which takes place from January 6-9, also include 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Chris Eubanks, as well as former top 25 players Dan Evans and Bernard Tomic. Among the women receiving wild cards are Paris Olympics doubles gold medalist and 2012 French Open singles runner-up Sara Errani, along with top-20 players Petra Martic and Ana Konjuh.
The main-draw action at the Australian Open will begin on January 12, with both Halep and Cruz Hewitt aiming to make their mark on the tournament’s early stages.
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