US Open hat snatching moment gets a twist as tennis star finally meets the fan

A viral controversy at the US Open reached a more uplifting conclusion when Polish tennis player Kamil Majchrzak reunited with a young fan whose match-worn cap had been taken from him.On his official Instagram account, Majchrzak shared two clips showing the boy, named Brock, smiling as the player shook his hand and offered him gifts, including a cap similar to the one that was taken. Captioning the post, Majchrzak wrote: “Today after warm up, I had a nice meeting. Do you recognize?” He followed with another post showing the two standing together: “Hello World, together with Brock we wish you a great day.”The warm reunion capped days of heated debate online, transforming a story that had begun with outrage into one centered on kindness and responsibility.

The scandal that sparked outrage

The incident that set off the controversy came after Majchrzak’s thrilling second-round victory at Flushing Meadows, where he fought back from two sets down to defeat Russia’s Karen Khachanov. As the Polish player signed autographs and handed souvenirs to fans, a broadcast camera captured him offering his cap to a young boy in the crowd.

But before the boy could take it, an adult man seated next to him grabbed the cap and tucked it into a bag. The boy, visibly upset, tried pleading for it back. Clips of the moment quickly spread across social media, with viewers accusing the man of “stealing” from a child. Multiple outlets later identified him as Piotr Szczerek, a Polish CEO of paving company Drogbruk. The backlash was swift and fierce, Szczerek shut down his social media accounts after being inundated with criticism.According to MARCA, the CEO later attempted to privately contact Brock’s family to apologize for what happened. Majchrzak himself suggested the incident may have stemmed from a misunderstanding rather than malice, explaining: “Obviously, it was some kind of confusion. I was pointing, giving the hat, but I had a lot going on after my match, after being super tired and super excited for the win. I just missed it. I had like a dead look if you know what I mean. I’m sure the guy was also acting in the moment of heat, in the moment of emotions.”