Aryna Sabalenka's US Open Match Disrupted by Cannabis Smell

Aryna Sabalenka wrinkled her nose, stepped back from the baseline and looked up into the stands at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The world No. 1 was cruising, 3-0 up on Kamilla Rakhimova in the third round of the US Open, when the match was hit by a now-familiar New York intrusion.

Not the roar of the subway. Not the hum of planes overhead. The smell of cannabis.

Sabalenka walked toward chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore during her second service game, gesturing toward the crowd as the odour drifted across the court.

“Someone is smoking weed. Would you mind to... because it's so strong,” she told the umpire.

Asderaki-Moore immediately radioed tournament officials and mimed a smoking gesture toward the stands, prompting security and staff to fan out in search of the source. Play paused only briefly, but the moment underlined a growing off-court theme at this year’s US Open: tennis’s biggest hard-court stage sharing airspace with New York’s relaxed cannabis laws.

Once the short delay ended, Sabalenka did what top seeds are supposed to do. She shut it all out.

The defending champion tightened her focus, kept her rhythm on serve and closed out a 6-3, 6-4 win over Uzbekistan’s Rakhimova, booking her place in the fourth round without dropping a set.

A legal high, an unwanted haze

The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center sits beside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, where recreational cannabis is legal for adults 21 and over. That proximity has turned the Open into an unintended crossroads between a smoke-free sporting venue and a city where the smell of weed is simply part of the summer air.

Inside the grounds, the rules are clear: no smoking of any kind. The reality is less straightforward. When the wind shifts, the scent from the park can drift over courts and practice areas, cutting through the usual cocktail of sunscreen, food stands and hard-court grit.

Players have noticed.

British No. 1 Katie Boulter spoke earlier in the tournament about the smell lingering around the outer courts, especially Court 17.

“I have experienced it,” Boulter said. “You got down to the practice courts and down in the park courts, you do smell it a lot.

“I’m not a huge fan of it. I know a lot of players have complained on specific courts. I’ve played on (Court 17) before and I did smell it during my match. It’s something that I wouldn’t like to smell in the middle of my match.”

The USTA responded with a firm reminder of its stance, stressing that while it cannot dictate what happens in the public park beyond its fences, it is “vigilant” in keeping the National Tennis Center a smoke-free environment.

That vigilance was on display on Louis Armstrong as staff swept the stands after Sabalenka’s complaint. No lengthy delay, no public ejection, just a quiet attempt to restore order and let the tennis breathe again.

Champion’s composure intact

If the smell rattled Sabalenka, the scoreline never showed it.

Her power game stayed intact, her body language unflustered. She controlled the baseline exchanges, kept Rakhimova at arm’s length and managed the match with the authority expected of a reigning champion and current world No. 1.

The straight-sets victory keeps her title defence perfectly on track: three rounds, three wins, no sets conceded.

New York may continue to throw up its quirks — swirling winds, late-night crowds, and now the occasional cannabis cloud — but Sabalenka’s tennis remains the constant. The question now is simple: can anything, on or off the court, break that grip on the US Open crown?