High drama: Aryna Sabalenka halts match, claims spectator smoked weed

There was some high drama at the Louis Armstrong stadium in New York as Aryna Sabalenka was forced to briefly interrupt her third-round US Open clash after complaining to the chair umpire about the strong smell of marijuana coming from the stands.The incident occurred during the third game of her match against Kamila Rakhimova, with Sabalenka leading 30-0 while serving from the southern end of the court. The World No. 1 then turned towards the umpire and pointed out that someone in the crowd appeared to be smoking weed.US OPEN: FULL COVERAGE“Someone is smoking weed,” Sabalenka told the official. The defending champion then asked the umpire to intervene, stressing how overpowering the smell had become.“Would you mind to (tell them to deal with it) because it’s so strong?” she said. The umpire immediately called for assistance, with US Open personnel sent into the stands in an attempt to locate where the smell was coming from.Sabalenka is not the first player to take issue with marijuana odours drifting through the Flushing Meadows complex during this year's tournament. Adrian Mannarino has also voiced his frustration over what he described as poor crowd etiquette, with the atmosphere around the venue drawing increased attention amid a growing presence of paid influencers at the US Open.SABALENKA OVERCOMES RAKHIMOVA CHALLENGEDespite the stoppage, Sabalenka was able to make it to the fourth round after overcoming a strong challenge against Rakhimova. With her position at the top of the rankings under pressure in New York, Sabalenka made a confident start against Rakhimova. The defending champion immediately put her opponent on the back foot, breaking the Uzbek in the opening service game before comfortably protecting her own serve.Sabalenka's serving remained almost flawless through the opening set. She landed every first serve she attempted until the seventh game and wrapped up the opener in just 35 minutes.Rakhimova responded by raising her level in the second set, producing considerably more power and making Sabalenka work harder. Both players held serve through a series of lengthy games before Sabalenka finally found the breakthrough she needed, securing a break to move 5-4 ahead.The victory keeps Sabalenka's title defence alive, with the Belarusian needing to go all the way in New York if she is to retain her world No. 1 ranking.She will next meet either 15th seed Diana Shnaider of Russia or American Taylor Townsend, who is ranked 96th in the world.- EndsPublished On: Sep 4, 2026 22:34 IST