Strong smell! ‘Someone is smoking weed’: When World No. 1 tennis player Aryna Sabalenka halted US Open match | Video

Aryna Sabalenka's third-round campaign at the US Open was briefly interrupted by an unusual distraction on Saturday when the defending champion complained about the smell of marijuana coming from the stands.

The incident unfolded inside Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York during Sabalenka's match against Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova. Sabalenka was serving in the third game and leading 30-0 when she turned towards the chair umpire and raised the issue.

The world No. 1 pointed towards the crowd and said she believed someone was smoking cannabis.

“Someone is smoking weed,” the Belarusian said as she approached the chair umpire.

She then asked officials to intervene, saying the smell had become difficult to ignore.

“Would you mind to (tell them to deal with it) because it’s so strong?” she said.

US Open staff sent into stands

The chair umpire responded by calling for assistance, and US Open personnel went into the stands to try to identify the source of the smell.

Sabalenka later explained that her objection was not to people relaxing or enjoying themselves, but to the smoke reaching the playing area while athletes were competing.

“I was like, 'guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please not around the tennis courts',” she said.

The defending champion added that the smell could make it harder for a player to concentrate during a match.

“It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best.”

Smoking is not permitted inside the US Open grounds. However, recreational cannabis is legal in New York, and smoke from areas around Flushing Meadows-Corona Park can drift towards the tennis complex.

Sabalenka was not the first player at this year's tournament to comment on marijuana odours around the venue. Adrian Mannarino has also expressed frustration about what he described as poor crowd etiquette. The atmosphere surrounding the tournament has received additional attention amid the growing presence of paid influencers at the US Open.

Sabalenka advances without facing a break point

The unusual interruption was ultimately only a brief distraction for Sabalenka, who continued her impressive run with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Rakhimova.

The top seed had entered the tournament after a pre-event run of form that had raised questions about her prospects. Against Rakhimova, however, she looked considerably more assured and did not face a single break point.

Her next challenge will be American Taylor Townsend. The four-time major winner booked her place in the next round after defeating Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-3.

For Sabalenka, the focus now shifts back to the tennis — after an unexpected marijuana-related interruption briefly became the talking point of her US Open campaign.