American 16-year-old Jordan Lee wins Wimbledon juniors tournament as a qualifier

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Jordan Lee of the United States kisses the trophy after winning against Cruz Hewitt of Australia in the boy's singles final at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Jordan Lee of the United States plays a return to Cruz Hewitt of Australia during the boys singles final at Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland ) — Jordan Lee of the United States kisses the trophy after winning against Cruz Hewitt of Australia in the boy's singles final at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

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7:57 AM on Sunday, July 12

The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — American 16-year-old Jordan Lee became only the second qualifier to win the Wimbledon boys' title after rallying to beat Cruz Hewitt 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday.

Lee is the first qualifier to win any Grand Slam boys' tournament since Noah Rubin did it at Wimbledon in 2014.

“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 in an on-court interview. “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.”

The 17-year-old Hewitt is the son of 2002 Wimbledon men's champion Lleyton Hewitt, who was in the stands at No. 1 Court. The Australian was up an early break in the deciding set but Lee broke back for 4-4 and then again in the final game.

He sealed the victory with a backhand winner up the line on his first match point.

Lee is the first American player to win the boys’ singles title here since Samir Banerjee in 2021.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis