High drama at US Open: Aryna Sabalenkova interrupts match, claims spectator was smoking weed

There was high drama at New York’s Louis Armstrong Stadium when Aryna Sabalenkova was forced to briefly suspend her US Open third-round match after complaining to the umpire about a strong smell of marijuana coming from the stands.

The incident occurred during the third game of her match against Kamila Rakhimova, when Sabalenkova was leading 30-0 while serving from the south end of the court. The world number one then turned to the referee and pointed out that someone in the crowd appeared to be smoking weed.

“Someone’s smoking weed,” Sabalenka told the clerk.

The defending champion then asked the referee to intervene, highlighting how powerful the stench had become.

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

The umpire immediately called for help, US Open personnel were dispatched to the stands to try to determine where the smell was coming from.

Sabalenka is not the first player to deal with the odors of marijuana wafting through the Flushing Meadows complex during this year’s tournament. Adrian Mannarino also expressed his frustration with what he described as poor crowd etiquette, with the atmosphere around the venue attracting increased attention amid the growing presence of paid influencers at the US Open.

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Published on:

04 Sep 2026 22:34 IST