Aryna Sabalenka’s third-round victory at the US Open was briefly interrupted on Friday when the world No. 1 asked the umpire to address a strong smell of cannabis inside Louis Armstrong Stadium. Having raced to a 3-0 lead, the top seed stopped play before it could continue and brought the issue to chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore.
The unusual moment came during Sabalenka’s second service game against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova.
The smell of cannabis has previously been reported by players at Flushing Meadows, making it an unwelcome distraction during the tournament. After winning the match, Sabalenka explained that her complaint was not about spectators enjoying themselves. Her concern was the effect the smell could have on players competing at the highest level. “That strong, yeah. The interruption was brief, and Sabalenka soon returned to the task at hand. She went on to defeat Rakhimova in straight sets, but the incident provided an unexpected talking point after the match.
Smoking is prohibited inside the US Open grounds, while recreational cannabis is legal for adults over 21 in New York. Because it was a bit windy, also,. Because the wind blows it into the stadium,” said Sabalenka, i don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or was from the outside.
“Someone is smoking weed,” Sabalenka said while leading 30-0. “Would you mind doing so, because it’s so strong?” she stated further. “I was like, Guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please don’t do it around the tennis courts,” said Sabalenka.
