{
  "id": 5637094,
  "title": "Sabalenka, Pegula get through tough tests at US Open, with Williams sisters playing doubles at night",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sabalenka-pegula-get-through-tough-tests-at-us-open-with-williams",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-04T20:23:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/us-open-day-six-results-6251421b738ef66eb350da37f7f97d7d"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Aryna Sabalenka, representing Belarus, triumphed over Kamilla Rakhimova from Uzbekistan in the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships held in New York on September 4, 2026. The match concluded with Sabalenka winning 6-3, 6-4. The No. 1 seed faced a grueling challenge in the second set, which extended by a minute beyond her longest past match. Sabalenka praised her opponent's performance, stating, \"She played incredible tennis... She really pushed me so hard in the second set, and I love when they bring their best tennis because they really push me to improve.\"\n\nSabalenka will advance to the fourth round to face Taylor Townsend, aiming to become the first player to secure three consecutive U.S. Open titles since Serena Williams between 2012 and 2014. Meanwhile, Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, are set to play doubles at night against Hao-Ching Chan and Maya-Joint, who had previously defeated Serena in singles at Wimbledon this summer.\n\nSabalenka approached the chair umpire during the third game of her match in Louis Armstrong Stadium, where she noticed a foul odor emanating from the surroundings. She expressed her frustration, stating, \"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.\"",
  "summary": "NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka was finally challenged by the U.S. Open — by her opponent and by the smell of marijuana . Jessica Pegula was…",
  "key_points": [
    "Aryna Sabalenka defeats Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 in US Open third round",
    "Williams sisters to play doubles at night against Hao-Ching Chan and Maya-Joint",
    "Sabalenka seeks to become first player with three consecutive US Open titles"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "Sabalenka interrupts US Open match over smell of cannabis",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sabalenka-interrupts-us-open-match-over-smell-of-cannabis",
        "published": "2026-09-04T16:14:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Sabalenka interrupts US Open match over cannabis smell",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sabalenka-interrupts-us-open-match-over-cannabis-smell",
        "published": "2026-09-04T16:40:18.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Sabalenka gets through tough test at the US Open, with Williams sisters in doubles action at night",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sabalenka-gets-through-tough-test-at-the-us-open-with-williams",
        "published": "2026-09-04T17:15:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Sabalenka interrupts US Open match against Rakhimova over cannabis smell",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sabalenka-interrupts-us-open-match-against-rakhimova-over-cannabis",
        "published": "2026-09-04T21:05:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News",
        "title": "Sabalenka interrupts US Open match over cannabis smell",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sabalenka-interrupts-us-open-match-over-cannabis-smell-5645285",
        "published": "2026-09-04T21:07:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Sabalenka interrupts US Open match over cannabis smell",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sabalenka-interrupts-us-open-match-over-cannabis-smell-5657240",
        "published": "2026-09-04T22:37:58.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}