Aryna Sabalenka halted her third-round US Open match after complaining of a strong smell of marijuana. The world No 1 and two-time defending champion was 2-0 up and serving in the first set against Kamilla Rakhimova on Louis Armstrong Stadium when she stopped abruptly.
She spoke to her team before approaching the umpire's chair. "Someone is smoking weed," she told umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore. "Would you mind to… because it's so strong."
Asderaki-Moore spoke to an official on her radio and made a smoking gesture with her fingers before play continued. The smell of weed around Flushing Meadows has been an issue this week, but has broadly been confined to outside courts near Corona Park.
Smoking of any kind is prohibited on the site itself. The United States Tennis Association has been approached for comment.