Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the fourth round of the US Open after a brief interruption during her match against Kamilla Rakhimova. However, at one point during the match, the defending champion brought the game to a halt, complaining to the official about a strong cannabis smell around Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Notably, the top seed stopped play after moving 3-0 ahead in the opening set and alerted umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore immediately. “someone is smoking weed,” she said. Sabalenka then asked the umpire to take action, explaining why the situation was affecting her. “It's so strong,” she added.
After which, Asderaki-Moore contacted an official over her radio before making a smoking gesture towards someone behind her. The match subsequently resumed, with Sabalenka quickly returning her attention to the contest.
Eventually, the Belarusian completed a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Uzbekistan's Rakhimova and extended her winning run at Flushing Meadows to 16 matches. With that, She moved closer to become the first woman since Serena Williams between 2012 and 2014 to win three consecutive US Open singles titles.
What happened in the match?
Sabalenka produced a dominant serving display, firing 10 aces compared with Rakhimova's two and never allowing her opponent a break-point opportunity. She surrendered only four points on serve during the opening set. Rakhimova offered greater resistance in the second set, but Sabalenka found the decisive breakthrough to move 5-4 ahead. The two-time defending champion then held her serve to close out the match.
However, the cannabis smell has emerged as a recurring issue during this year's tournament. Britain's Katie Boulter previously described it as distracting, while Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones have also noticed the odour during matches.
The issue is not new at the US Open. Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have previously complained about cannabis smells at Flushing Meadows. Meanwhile, smoking is prohibited at the venue, although cannabis odours can reach the courts from nearby Corona Park, as reported by BBC Sport.
On the other hand, Sabalenka will play her round of 16 clash on Sunday, September 6. Her opponent hasn’t been finalised as of now. However, given her dominance so far, Sabalenka will be confidence of her chances in the competition.
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