Qualifier Cruz Hewitt’s breakout run ended at the hands of a resurgent Jason Kubler at the Pro Tour event in Launceston, while Lizette Cabrera won the women’s title.
Launceston, TAS, Australia, 3 March 2025 | Matt Trollope
Queenslanders Jason Kubler and Lizette Cabrera completed a triumphant week in Launceston as the men’s and women’s singles champions at the latest Australian Pro Tour event.
Kubler ended the breakout run of 16-year-old qualifier Cruz Hewitt, who won six consecutive matches to reach the final.
Once there, Kubler’s experience shone through, with the 31-year-old claiming a 6-2 6-4 victory for his second consecutive title after triumphing in Burnie the previous week.
Kubler has dominated the Australian Pro Tour of late, also reaching the final in Brisbane – an ATP Challenger-level event – earlier in February.
He has won 14 of his previous 15 matches, improves his 2025 win-loss record to 15-4, and is expected to return to the world’s top 400 when the points from his Tasmanian titles are added to his ranking.
It’s been an encouraging return to form for Kubler, who played just four tournaments during an injury-ravaged 2024 season.
There was also plenty to celebrate for Hewitt, who at just 16 years of age advanced to his first professional-level final.
After qualifying for the main draw with two straight-sets wins, the teenager upset two seeded players – No.7 Dane Sweeny and second seed Yu Hsiou Hsu of Chinese Taipei – en route to the final.
He outlasted three opponents in three sets during a week that is expected to boost his ranking more than 300 places, and well inside the top 1000.
Launceston marked Kubler’s 23rd professional title – eight at Challenger level plus 15 ITF Futures trophies – while it was a seventh for Cabrera.
The 27-year-old, who had finished runner-up in her past four finals, won her first title in almost two years with a 7-5 6-2 win over Japan’s Sakura Hosogi in Sunday’s final.
Cabrera dropped just one set all week in Launceston, rebounding from a set down to beat Korean Yeon Woo Ku 1-6 6-2 6-4 in the semifinals.
Currently ranked world No.286, Cabrera is projected to return to the brink of the top 250 with her latest success.
She attained a career-high ranking of 119th in February 2020.
Meanwhile, Elena Micic – whom Cabrera beat in the first round of the singles event – ultimately triumphed in doubles.
Micic, the No.2 seed alongside New Zealand’s Monique Barry, beat Japanese pairing Miho Kuramochi and Erika Sema 6-2 6-4 in the final, their second straight doubles title after prevailing in Burnie.
Another Aussie, Kody Pearson, reached the men’s doubles final with American Joshua Sheehy, where they fell to Hsu and Tsung-Hao Huang 7-5 6-1.
