Kamil Majchrzak wins maiden ATP title in 's-Hertogenbosch, beats three top-10 opponents

Road to the final

Kamil Majchrzak arrived in 's-Hertogenbosch ranked world number 76 and with no ATP singles finals on his record. That changed dramatically over seven days on Dutch grass. He began his campaign with a three-set comeback against Finland's Otto Virtanen, saving a match point. Then he steamrolled Australian James McCabe 6-0, 6-3. In the quarter-final, he dismantled top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime (world No. 4) in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. The semi-final brought another top-10 scalp: former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, beaten 7-6, 6-1. By Sunday, Majchrzak had already guaranteed he would be the story of the tournament.

A nerve-shredding final

The championship match against second seed Alex de Minaur was a war of attrition. Majchrzak took the opener 6-3, but the Australian roared back with a 6-2 second set. In the decider, neither man blinked; the match headed to a tie-break. At 7-5 in the breaker, Majchrzak fell to the court and buried his face in a towel, tears streaming. “This is a very emotional moment for me, I’m not going to lie. I’ll try to hold back my tears,” he said on court after the 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(5) victory. The win took two hours and 27 minutes.

Congratulations to Alex – I know you didn’t expect the match to end this way. I think it was a fight until the very end, decided by a hair. This is a very emotional moment for me, I won’t lie. I’ll try to hold back my tears.

A journey from despair

Majchrzak’s triumph carries extra weight because of his recent history. In 2023 he was suspended for 13 months after a contaminated supplement triggered an anti-doping violation. He served the ban and returned with no ranking, forced to rebuild from scratch. Injuries also hampered his progress. Dawid Żbik of Eurosport captured the sentiment: “What was taken away not so long ago has now returned with interest. Hard work pays off. Welcome Kamil Majchrzak to the ATP Top 50.”

A wonderful person, a phenomenal tennis player and a marvellous tournament in Holland. Another beautiful page in the history of Polish sport written by a man who has been through so much in life that few could have endured. I was moved – it’s beautiful!

Reactions and accolades

The scale of the feat drew praise from all quarters. Polish sports minister Jakub Rutnicki tweeted his congratulations, noting that Majchrzak had beaten three top-10 players on his way to the trophy. Adam Romer, editor-in-chief of Tenisklub magazine, called it the “biggest success of his career.” With the win, Majchrzak became only the third Polish man in the Open Era to lift an ATP singles title, joining Wojciech Fibak (15) and Hubert Hurkacz (8). His ranking will vault from 76 to a career-best 47th.

What’s next for Majchrzak

The Dutch fortnight also delivered a handsome payday: €110,055 for the champion, nearly double the €64,195 awarded to de Minaur as runner-up. Majchrzak now crosses the Channel to Queen’s Club in London for an ATP 500 event, where he faces Jiri Lehecka in his opening match. The grass-court swing continues with Wimbledon, where last year he reached the fourth round – still his best Grand Slam result. After this week’s explosion of form, expectations will be higher than ever.