Aryna Sabalenka complains about the smell of marijuana during her U.S. Open match

Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending U.S. Open champion, complained to the chair umpire that the smell of marijuana was bothering her early in her third-round victory over Kamilla Rakhimova on Friday.

Aryna Sabalenka finally found something that could stop her at the U.S. Open: the smell of marijuana.

The two-time defending champion complained to the chair umpire that it was bothering her early in her third-round victory over Kamilla Rakhimova on Friday.

Sabalenka said she had never smelled the odor so strong as she did while serving early in the match.

“I don’t know if it was, like, coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium,” Sabalenka said. “I don’t know. I just hope they’re going to be a bit more aware of that stuff.”

Sabalenka was serving in the third game of the match in Louis Armstrong Stadium. She tossed the ball but then let it fall to the court. She did the same thing on the next point, with something clearly bothering her.