NEW YORK: Aryna Sabalenka’s U.S. Open run hit an unusual snag Friday when a strong cannabis smell drifted onto the court during her third-round match.
The world No. 1 briefly called on the chair umpire to address the distraction before beating Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets.
Sabalenka had already taken a 3-0 lead over Uzbekistan’s Rakhimova when she raised the issue while serving at 30-0 in the second game. Turning to chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore, she said, “Someone is smoking weed,” before asking if something could be done because the smell was “so strong.”
The umpire contacted an official by radio and made a smoking gesture toward someone behind her before play resumed. The brief interruption did little to affect Sabalenka, who closed out a 6-3, 6-4 victory to reach the fourth round.
The win extended Sabalenka’s winning streak at Flushing Meadows to 16 matches as she continues her pursuit of a third consecutive U.S. Open title and fifth Grand Slam singles championship.
Sabalenka said she was unsure whether the smell came from spectators inside the tournament grounds or from outside the stadium, but believed the wind had carried it toward the court.
“I was like, guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please do not do it around the tennis courts,” Sabalenka said with a smile. “It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best.”
She said she had encountered the smell of cannabis at the tournament before but had never experienced it so strongly during a match.
“I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium,” she said. “I just hope they are a bit more aware of that stuff.”
Smoking is prohibited inside the U.S. Open grounds, while recreational cannabis use is legal for adults 21 and older in New York. The tournament is held in the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park area, where odors from outside can drift toward the tennis complex.
The incident was not the first time players have raised concerns about cannabis odors at Flushing Meadows. Similar complaints have surfaced at the tournament in previous years, making the issue an occasional source of distraction during matches.
World No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who was competing on a nearby court, also acknowledged concerns about outside distractions affecting players.
“It makes it New York that it’s so kind of all over the place and chaotic,” Pegula said. “But I do think that there are things that maybe could be better suited toward helping the match be a tennis match and not letting other factors kind of interfere.”
Pegula also spoke about the growing presence of influencers and content creators at major tennis events, saying spectators need to understand proper tennis etiquette.
“As far as the influencer things ... tennis etiquette, it’s something you have to learn as you go to these events,” she said. “The smoking weed, you probably just shouldn’t do that. I feel like that should be a known thing.”
Once play resumed, Sabalenka remained firmly in control. She dropped just four points on serve in the opening set and did not face a break point throughout the match. Rakhimova mounted a stronger challenge in the second set, but Sabalenka secured the decisive break at 5-4 before serving out the match.
The top seed finished with 10 aces, compared with two from Rakhimova, and moved into the last 16 for another chance to defend her title.
Sabalenka will next face American Taylor Townsend, who defeated Russian 15th seed Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 to reach the fourth round.
Sabalenka is attempting to become the first woman since Serena Williams from 2012 through 2014 to win three consecutive U.S. Open singles titles.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, third-seeded American Jessica Pegula rallied past Canadian 31st seed Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to keep her hopes of claiming a first Grand Slam title alive.
Fernandez raced through the opening set in less than 30 minutes, but Pegula gradually found her rhythm and turned the match around. She saved two break points early in the deciding set before breaking Fernandez in the following game and taking control.
“I wasn’t moving my feet up to the ball, and I was a little lazy to start off,” Pegula said. “I was going to have to dig deep. I’m glad I was able to find somewhere there in the second set to turn it around.”
Pegula, who lost the U.S. Open final to Sabalenka two years ago, will face Romanian 16th seed Sorana Cirstea in the fourth round. Cirstea defeated Italian 19th seed Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-3.
Seventh-seeded Czech Karolina Muchova was the highest-ranked woman to exit Friday, losing 6-3, 7-5 to American 26th seed Emma Navarro. Muchova was playing her first tournament since undergoing minor surgery after reaching the Wimbledon final in July.
Navarro will meet Russian 21st seed Anna Kalinskaya, who defeated Ukrainian ninth seed Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
Ukrainian 11th seed Marta Kostyuk also advanced to the last 16 with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova. She will face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.
In women’s doubles, British players Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden advanced to the second round after beating Croatia’s Petra Marcinko and Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova 7-5, 6-3.
