Aryna Sabalenka's US Open Match Interrupted by Cannabis Smell

Aryna Sabalenka raced out to a 3-0 lead. Then the smell hit her.

Midway through her second service game in the US Open third round on Louis Armstrong Stadium, the world No 1 suddenly stepped back from the baseline, turned toward the chair, and pointed out what everyone nearby could sense: a strong waft of cannabis drifting across the court.

Play stopped briefly as Sabalenka spoke to the umpire, the Belarusian clearly distracted by the pungent haze rolling in from outside the arena. Once the issue was acknowledged, she reset, returned to the line and the match against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova resumed.

The scene was unusual, but hardly unprecedented in this corner of Queens.

Over the last few editions of the US Open, the smell of cannabis has become an unwelcome but recurring part of the Flushing Meadows backdrop, with players repeatedly remarking on how it cuts through the usual cocktail of food, sweat and hardcourt grit. Smoking is banned inside the tournament grounds, yet with recreational cannabis legal for adults over 21 in New York, the source lies just beyond the fences.

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park wraps around the tennis complex, and smoke from park-goers often drifts over the outer courts and into Louis Armstrong Stadium when the wind turns the wrong way. On Friday, even the top seed on one of the biggest stages at the tournament could not escape it.

At a Grand Slam built on noise, neon and New York edge, Sabalenka was reminded that the US Open always finds one more way to surprise its stars.