World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenkova says she could ‘float’ herself if the smell of marijuana doesn’t stop wafting through the stadium at the US Open

Aryna Sabalenkova of Belarus reacts during her match against Camila Osorio of Colombia during the first round of the US Open tennis championships Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Aryna Sabalenka has joked that she might “get high” herself if the smell of cannabis wafts around the US Open after she briefly stopped her third-round match to complain about it.The world number one was playing Kamilla Rakhim at the Louis Armstrong Stadium when she noticed a strong odor and approached referee Eva Asderaki-Moore as she led 3-0 in the opening set.Sabalenka finally broke the deadlock and produced one of her strongest performances of the tournament, beating Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the fourth round without dropping a set.But the smell of cannabis reappeared at her post-match press conference, where Sabalenka revealed how noticeable it was.

Sabalenka explains why she stopped the match

At first, Sabalenka believed the smell might have come from somewhere in the crowd.While leading 3-0, she called Asderaki-Moore and told the referee: “Someone’s smoking weed, it’s okay … because she’s so strong.”Officials briefly searched the crowd, although they were unable to identify the source.Sabalenka then said that she has no problem with people having fun outside of the competition.“I was like, you guys can do anything. You can smoke, anything. You can relax as much as you can. But please don’t do it on the tennis courts,” she said.“It’s a bit tricky to manage that smell when you’re trying to compete at your best.”Belarus was then asked how “high” she was compared to other Grand Slams, prompting laughter and a joke suggesting the stench was already hard to escape.“High? Level?” said Sabalenka. “All I can hear now is weed. If they keep smoking, I might get excited.”Sabalenka was also asked if this was the first time she had encountered such a strong odor while playing in New York.“That strong? Yeah,” she replied.She suggested that the wind might have played a role, so she wasn’t sure exactly where the smell came from.“Also because it was a bit windy. I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or from outside, because the wind is blowing into the stadium,” said Sabalenka.“I just hope they’re a little more aware of it.”Cannabis is legal in New York, and the smell has become a familiar topic around the US Open in recent years. However, smoking is prohibited in the tournament area.British player Katie Boulter also spoke about the smell of cannabis on the outer courts earlier in the tournament, saying she experienced it while playing on court 17.

Sabalenka finds her rhythm as Townsend waits

The interruption did not derail Sabalenka’s progress too much.The two-time defending US Open champion faced a tough test from Rakhim but eventually prevailed in straight sets backed by a superb serve.She hit 10 aces, faced zero break points and advanced to the round of 16 without dropping a set.This is significant given the form Sabalenka brought to New York. The world number one has not reached another final since back-to-back wins in Indian Wells and Miami in March, so she will be looking for consistency as she attempts to defend her title.She is also fighting to retain the No. 1 ranking. Sabalenkova has held the top spot for 97 weeks but will lose it unless she wins her third straight US Open title and world No. 2 Elena Rybakina loses before the semifinals.

Aryna Sabalenkova of Belarus returns the ball to Kamilla Rakhimova of Uzbekistan during the third round of the US Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Her next opponent will be home favorite Taylor Townsend, who reached the fourth round for the second time in a row.Townsend followed up her run to the last 16 at last year’s US Open with another impressive run in New York, defeating 15th seed Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3.This means that Sabalenko now faces a significantly tougher test, but after arriving at the US Open in top form, she is starting to find a rhythm.And if her tennis continues to improve, perhaps the only thing Sabalenka will have to worry about in her next match will be her opponent – rather than what’s rolling in from somewhere in the stadium.