Kamil Majchrzak has tracked down the young boy who was left devastated when an adult fan snatched a souvenir cap intended for him in the aftermath of the Pole’s stunning US Open victory.
The 29-year-old, who pulled off the biggest win of his career by beating No 9 seed Karen Khachanov in a marathon five-set thriller on Thursday, was filmed removing his cap and trying to hand it to a child in the crowd on Court 11.
But in ugly scenes that quickly went viral, a man standing next to the boy reached out, grabbed the cap and stuffed it into his bag — leaving the youngster looking crestfallen and asking ‘what are you doing?’ as Majchrzak walked away, unaware of what had just happened.
The clip sparked fury online, with fans branding the unidentified man ‘selfish’ and ‘a jerk’ for stealing a moment that should have belonged to a child.
Majchrzak moved to put things right on Friday, taking to Instagram to appeal for help in finding the boy.
‘After the match I didn’t record that my cap didn’t get to the boy,’ he wrote. ‘Thanks to @asicstennis I’ve got enough caps, so I’m prepared for that. Hey guys, could you help me find the kid from my match. If it’s you (or your parents see this), please send me a DM.’
Just hours later, the Polish star confirmed the boy had been located. Sharing the same pictures of the incident on his story, he added: ‘I am impressed by the power of the internet. We got it! All good now.’
The heart-warming resolution capped a dramatic 24 hours for Majchrzak, whose on-court exploits have already made headlines in New York.
On Thursday he produced a performance of extraordinary grit to topple Khachanov 2-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(5) in four and a half hours — saving five match points along the way.
It marked his first win over a Top 10 opponent and matched his best-ever run at the US Open, where he is now into the third round.
Khachanov, who had beaten Majchrzak at Wimbledon in July, appeared in full control after taking the first two sets, breaking twice in the opener and edging a tight second in a tiebreak.
But the Pole refused to fold, taking the third set as errors crept into his opponent’s game.
He held firm again in the fourth before breaking late to force a decider, and even when Khachanov opened a 5-3 lead and served for the match, Majchrzak dug deep to fend off three match points and break back.
Two more slipped away for Khachanov in the next game as Majchrzak again refused to yield, ultimately forcing a deciding tiebreak.
There he raced into an early lead and, despite brief resistance from the Russian, held his nerve to complete a famous comeback 10-5.
‘This is the biggest win of my career,’ Majchrzak said afterwards. ‘It shows I can compete with the very best and gives me so much belief.’
His reward is a third-round meeting with Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi, ranked 435 in the world but also coming off a giant-killing win after upsetting No 19 seed Francisco Cerundolo.
Victory would see Majchrzak reach the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time.
