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🇦🇷 Argentina /Sports

Sabalenka pauses US Open match after strong marijuana smell reaches court

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • Aryna Sabalenka briefly stopped her US Open third-round match after smelling marijuana near the Louis Armstrong Stadium court.
  • She defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 29 minutes without facing a break point.
  • The two-time defending champion advanced to the round of 16 and is seeking a third consecutive US Open title.

Aryna Sabalenka had taken a 3-0 lead over Kamilla Rakhimova at the US Open when an unexpected presence interrupted her serve: a strong smell of marijuana drifting toward the court.

Someone is smoking marijuana.

· Aryna SabalenkaShe alerted the chair umpire after smelling marijuana during her third-round match.

The world No. 1 turned to chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore and said, "Someone is smoking marijuana." She then added, "Would you mind...? Because it's very strong." After the brief interruption, Sabalenka resumed the match and kept control.

The Belarusian won 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 29 minutes to reach the round of 16. She broke Rakhimova's serve at her first opportunity and did not allow a single break chance throughout the match. Rakhimova, who was born in Russia and has represented Uzbekistan since late 2025, made the second set more competitive, but Sabalenka secured the decisive break at 5-4 and served out the victory.

Would you mind...? Because it's very strong.

· Aryna SabalenkaShe asked the chair umpire to address the smell reaching the court.

The incident was not entirely new at the US Open. Smoking is prohibited inside the grounds, while recreational cannabis is legal in New York for people over 21. Reuters has reported that smoke from around Flushing Meadows-Corona Park can reach the tournament complex and its courts, and other players have complained about the smell at previous editions.

I am very happy to have won in two sets.

· Aryna SabalenkaShe spoke after defeating Rakhimova in straight sets.

Sabalenka has not exited the tournament before the semifinals since 2020. She is seeking a third straight title in New York, a feat last achieved by Serena Williams in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Her next opponent will come from the match between Diana Shnaider and Taylor Townsend.

She played incredible tennis and pushed me hard in the second set. But I like that because it makes me improve and work to give my best.

· Aryna SabalenkaShe praised Rakhimova's performance after the match.
About this summary

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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