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.

Tennis fans have criticised Bernard Tomic's showing in Australian Open qualifying on Tuesday, with many saying Cruz Hewitt showed much more fight and effort than his veteran compatriot. Tomic and Hewitt both fell at the first hurdle in their bids to qualify for the Melbourne Park grand slam, although their matches were markedly different.

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.