Sabalenka pauses match to address cannabis smell at US Open, September 4

Aryna Sabalenka, the No. 1 seed and two-time defending US Open champion, paused her second-round match on September 4 to complain to the chair umpire about a strong smell of cannabis on court. Early in her match against Kamilla Rakhimova of Uzbekistan, after building a 3-0 lead in the first set, Sabalenka approached chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore and said: "Someone is smoking weed, do you mind ... because it's so strong." The umpire spoke to an official on her radio and made a smoking gesture to someone behind her before play resumed. Sabalenka went on to win 6-3, 6-4, advancing to the fourth round.

In her post-match remarks per the Guardian, Sabalenka said: "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. It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best." She acknowledged uncertainty about the smell's source, stating: "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 noted that the smell was the strongest she had encountered during her years competing in New York.

Cannabis is legal in New York for adults aged 21 and over. Smoking is not permitted on site at Flushing Meadows, but per BBC Sport, the smell often wafts onto court from nearby Corona Park, which lies outside tournament control. This is not an isolated complaint at the 2026 US Open. According to BBC Sport, Katie Boulter previously described the cannabis smell as distracting, and both Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones noticed it during their matches. In past years, players including Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have also complained about the cannabis smell at the tournament.

Sabalenka's victory marked her 16th straight win at Flushing Meadows, per BBC Sport. The 28-year-old showcased her trademark power from the start, dropping just four points on serve in the opening set and serving 10 aces while facing zero break points in the match. Although Rakhimova fought well in the second set, Sabalenka secured the crucial break to go 5-4 up before safely serving out the win.

Sabalenka will face crowd favorite Taylor Townsend in the fourth round after Townsend defeated 15th seed Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3, per BBC Sport. Sabalenka needs to win the US Open to retain her No. 1 ranking, which she has held for 97 weeks, according to the Guardian. She will lose that ranking unless she wins her third consecutive US Open title and world No. 2 Elena Rybakina loses before the semi-finals.

Sabalenka had arrived in New York in difficult form, having failed to reach a final since winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back in March, per the Guardian. After a dominant first-round win over Polina Iatcenko, she clashed with a reporter in her post-match press conference when the reporter described her pre-tournament week as "parties and fun." Sabalenka responded: "You guys are, like, a joke. 'Parties, fun ...' like, why would you even say that? Why would you even think about that? What kind of question is that? Just because I posted, like, some activities with brands, and you think that I've been partying, not training?"