‘Someone’s smoking weed’: Sabalenka interrupts US Open match over cannabis smell

At the U.S. Open on Friday, world number one Aryna Sabalenka was forced to stop her match against Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova due to a strong smell of cannabis drifting onto Louis Armstrong Stadium court. The top seed, who had already secured a 3-0 lead in the match, called for the umpire, Eva Asderaki-Moore, to address the issue during her second service game.

She expressed her concern, saying, "Someone is smoking weed. Would you mind because it's so strong?" Sabalenka later clarified that she wasn't objecting to anyone's personal enjoyment but requested that smoking be kept away from the court for the sake of her performance. The tennis player mentioned that she had previously smelled cannabis during the tournament but never as intensely as on Friday, with the wind appearing to carry the odor into the stadium.