Lleyton Hewitt’s 15-year-old son Cruz has made his Australian Open debut after competing in the first round of the boys’ singles at Melbourne Park.

Hewitt junior was awarded a wildcard into the draw, before going down in straight sets to sixth seed Alexander Razeghi 6-2, 6-3.

Appearing on the same court where his father played his first main-draw match at the same age, Cruz Hewitt gave a solid account of himself against the more experienced Razeghi.

He broke Razeghi in the opening game of the match, but his 17-year-old opponent – who is 10th on the ITF junior rankings — soon got on top to post a comfortable win.

With his cap worn backwards, it was hard not to noticed Cruz Hewitt’s resemblance to his famous father, who watched on from the stands.

The similarities did not stop with the headwear, however, as Cruz Hewitt has clearly modelled his game on his father, who was a world number one and two-time major winner during his illustrious career.

The forehand return from the back of the court, the intent to chase every ball down and a never-say-die attitude are traits shared between the two.

Cruz Hewitt is 201 on the ITF junior rankings but is still eligible to play the Australian Open boys’ singles for another two years.

The experience of playing this year’s tournament will hold him in good stead as he continues his season on the juniors circuit.

Lleyton Hewitt first made headlines when he qualified for the main draw of the 1997 Australian Open.

He lost in straight sets to two-time French Open champion Sergi Bruguera.

The following year he gave another glimpse of what was to come when he beat Andre Agassi on his way to claiming the ATP Tour event in Adelaide as a 16-year-old.

Lleyton Hewitt was a member of Australia’s 1999 Davis Cup-winning team when he was 18 and two years later broke through for his first major when he won the US Open.

Later in 2001, he won the ATP’s season-ending championships to become number one in the world, before triumphing at Wimbledon the following year.

Lleyton Hewitt also reached the finals of the US and Australian Opens in 2004 and 2005 respectively, and added a second David Cup win in 2003.

He retired from singles at the 2016 Australian Open.