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U.S. Open Hat Stealing Incident Involving Kamil Majchrzak, Fan Gets Happy Ending

You love to see it.
Kamil Majchrzak met the young fan whose signed hat was stolen by another fan in a viral video.
Kamil Majchrzak met the young fan whose signed hat was stolen by another fan in a viral video. | Screengrab Twitter @TheTennisLetter

Some of the best and most heartwarming moments in sports occur when a young fan receives the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get an autograph or piece of apparel from an athlete.

Such an opportunity presented itself on Thursday following Kamil Majchrzak's thrilling victory over Karen Khachanov in five sets in the grand slam tournament's second round. Fans naturally showed up in bunches for autographs from Majchrzak, including one young boy, who found himself almost face-to-face with Majchrzak. The Polish tennis player removed his hat and prepared to hand it to the young fan, but another fan snatched the hat away and placed it in a bag, to the astonishment of the young boy.

The video has since gone viral, so much so that Majchrzak vowed to make the situation right.

"After the match I didn't record that my cap didn't get to the boy," he wrote in a post on Instagram. "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."

Well, Majchrzak made good on his promise, as he met the boy on Saturday before his third-round match at Flushing Meadows.

So fortunately, the situation had a happy ending. Unfortunately, Majchrzak was forced to retire from his third-round match in the first set due to injury, ending his U.S. Open run far sooner than he would have hoped.


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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated, primarily covering MLB, college football and college basketball. Before joining SI in November 2023, Capurso worked at RotoBaller and ClutchPoints and is a graduate of Assumption University. When he's not working, he can be found at the gym, reading a book or enjoying a good hike. A resident of New York, Capurso openly wonders if the Giants will ever be a winning football team again.