Sabalenka interrupts US Open match against Rakhimova over cannabis smell

Published On 4 Sep 20264 Sep 2026.

Key points

• "Someone is smoking weed, " top seed Sabalenka informed umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore as she was serving 30-0 up.
• The odour of cannabis has become a familiar – if unwelcome – feature at ⁠Flushing Meadows, with players complaining regarding the distraction in the ⁠past.
• Sabalenka remarked she had smelled cannabis before during the tournament but never so strongly during a ⁠match, with Friday's wind apparently carrying the odour into ⁠the stadium.
• Sabalenka afterwards stated to journalists she was not objecting to anyone enjoying themselves, but asked for the smoking ‌to be kept away from the court.
• "It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best."

World number one Aryna Sabalenka had an unusual interruption during ⁠her US Open third-round ⁠match, stopping play to alert the umpire to a solid smell of cannabis drifting onto the Louis Armstrong Stadium court.

Sabalenka, who ⁠had created a fast start to go 3-0 ahead before securing a straight-sets win against Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova, raised the problem during her second service game on Friday, pointing ⁠out the smell before play resumed.

"Someone is smoking weed, " top seed Sabalenka informed umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore as she was serving 30-0 up. "Would you mind to. Because it's so strong."

"I was like, Guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please to not do it around the tennis courts, " a smiling Sabalenka remarked. "It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best."

Meanwhile, the odour of cannabis has become a familiar – if unwelcome – feature at ⁠Flushing Meadows, with players complaining regarding the distraction in the ⁠past.

While smoking is not permitted inside the grounds, recreational cannabis is legal for adults 21 and older in New York, and smoke from individuals in the surrounding Flushing Meadows-Corona Park can drift into the tennis ⁠complex and onto the courts.

That solid, yeah. As it was a bit windy, she noted, additionally. I don't know if it was coming from the crowd or was from the outside since the wind blows it into the stadium.

"I ‌just hope they are a bit more aware of that stuff, " she continued, before laughing when the questions returned to the subject. "Come on, guys. I think there is ‌nothing ‌else to say regarding weed. I'm just asking individuals not to smoke it next to the tennis court."

For now, sabalenka interrupts US Open match against Rakhimova over cannabis smell remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.