Aryna Sabalenka stopped play during her US Open third-round match after a Sabalenka cannabis smell complaint prompted the umpire to contact officials, before the top seed went on to win 6-3 6-4 against Kamilla Rakhimova at Flushing Meadows.
Sabalenka raised the issue after going 3-0 up in the opening set, telling umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore that ‘someone is smoking weed’. The Belarusian asked the umpire to intervene, saying the smell was ‘so strong’. Asderaki-Moore spoke to an official on her radio and made a smoking gesture to someone behind her before play resumed.
Sabalenka went on to secure a confident victory on Louis Armstrong Stadium, serving 10 aces to Rakhimova’s two and not facing a single break point across the match. She dropped just four points on serve in the first set. Rakhimova fought back in the second, but Sabalenka broke to lead 5-4 and served out the win.
Sabalenka cannabis smell complaint part of a wider pattern at Flushing Meadows
Sabalenka is far from the first player to raise the issue this year. Britain’s Katie Boulter said last week that the smell was distracting, while Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones also noticed it. According to ESPN, players including Nick Kyrgios and Maria Sakkari have also complained about the smell of marijuana during their matches at the tournament in previous years, alongside Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev.
The cause is a recurring one. Smoking is not permitted on site at Flushing Meadows, but as The Guardian has reported, the aroma of cannabis drifts across some outside courts from the nearby Corona Park. Marijuana is legal for adults aged 21 and over in New York, meaning there is little the tournament can do about what happens beyond its boundaries.
The issue has surfaced repeatedly across recent editions of the event, with players on outside courts particularly exposed to the drifting smell depending on wind conditions.
Victory extends Sabalenka’s record run in New York
The win was Sabalenka’s 16th consecutive victory at Flushing Meadows. The 28-year-old is chasing a fifth Grand Slam singles title and is bidding to become the first woman since Serena Williams, who won the US Open in 2012, 2013 and 2014, to claim three successive titles at the tournament.
Sabalenka will next face either American Taylor Townsend or 15th seed Diana Shnaider, who beat Sabalenka in the US Open‘s French Open quarter-finals in June.
