Aryna Sabalenka briefly halted her third-round US Open match after complaining that a strong cannabis smell was drifting across Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York.
The world number one was serving against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova when she turned to chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore and said: “Someone is smoking weed.”
Sabalenka then asked officials to investigate, adding: “Would you mind, because it’s so strong.” US Open staff were sent into the stands as play was temporarily interrupted.
The Belarusian later said she was unsure whether the smell had come from the crowd or had blown into the stadium from outside. “I don’t know if it was, like, coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium,” she said.
Despite the unusual distraction, Sabalenka recovered to beat Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 and reach the fourth round. The two-time defending champion remains on course to extend her run at Flushing Meadows.
