Sabalenka pauses US Open match over cannabis smell, advances to fourth round

Aryna Sabalenka stopped play midway through the first set of her US Open match on Thursday, raising her hand to the umpire and pointing out that someone in or near the stadium was smoking cannabis. The top seed had just gone up 3-0 against Kamilla Rakhimova of Uzbekistan when the smell became strong enough that she felt compelled to ask umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore to intervene. Asderaki-Moore radioed an official and made a gesture toward the stands, then play resumed. Sabalenka went on to win 6-3, 6-4 on Louis Armstrong Stadium, advancing to the fourth round and extending her winning streak at Flushing Meadows to 16 consecutive matches.

After the match, Sabalenka acknowledged the difficulty of competing while distracted by the smell. She was unsure whether the cannabis was coming from spectators in the crowd or drifting in from Corona Park, which sits adjacent to the tournament grounds. Smoking is prohibited on the US Open site itself, but recreational cannabis is legal in New York for adults 21 and older, and the wind sometimes carries the smell into the stadium from outside. "It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best," she said, asking fans to be more mindful of the issue.

Sabalenka is not alone in noticing the problem this year. British player Katie Boulter has said the smell was distracting, and both Harriet Dart and Francesca Jones reported encountering it as well. The issue is not new to the tournament—past US Opens have seen complaints from players including Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev. The recurring nature of the complaint suggests it has become a fixture of playing at Flushing Meadows, one that tournament organizers have not yet fully resolved.

On the court, Sabalenka's performance was commanding. She dropped just four points on her serve in the opening set against Rakhimova and did not face a single break point throughout the match. She hit 10 aces to Rakhimova's two. In the second set, Rakhimova competed more fiercely, but Sabalenka broke serve at 4-5 and closed out the victory. The win keeps her on track for a third consecutive US Open title—a feat that would make her the first woman since Serena Williams (2012-2014) to accomplish it. She is chasing her fifth Grand Slam singles title overall.

Sabalenka will face American crowd favorite Taylor Townsend in the fourth round. Townsend advanced by defeating 15th seed Diana Shnaider of Russia 6-2, 6-7(3-7), 6-3. Elsewhere in the women's draw, third seed Jessica Pegula recovered from losing the first set to beat Canadian 31st seed Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. Pegula, who lost the US Open final to Sabalenka two years ago, said she had been moving sluggishly early on but found her rhythm in the second set. She will play Romanian 16th seed Sorana Cirstea next, after Cirstea defeated Italian 19th seed Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-3.

The day brought an upset in the women's singles when seventh seed Karolina Muchova, the highest-seeded woman to exit the tournament so far, lost to American 26th seed Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-5. Muchova was competing in her first tournament since undergoing minor surgery following her run to the Wimbledon final in July. Navarro will face Russian 21st seed Anna Kalinskaya in the fourth round after Kalinskaya beat Ukrainian ninth seed Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Ukrainian 11th seed Marta Kostyuk also advanced, defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-2, and will next play Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.