# Marijuana smoke forces Aryna Sabalenka to halt play and complain to umpire during US Open win

> World number one Aryna Sabalenka stopped mid-match at the US Open to complain to the chair umpire about strong marijuana smoke drifting onto the court, before going on to beat Kamilla Rakhimova and reach the fourth round.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Tennis · **Published:** 2026-09-05 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/tennis/ganje-ki-gndha-se-pareshana-hokara-aryna-sabalenka-ne-rukavaya-maicha-anpayara-ke-pasa-pahunchai-shikayata-27948 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Aryna Sabalenka, US Open, Marijuana, Tennis, Kamilla Rakhimova, New York, Louis Armstrong Stadium

Cannabis smoke turned into an unlikely on-court disruption at the US Open, forcing world number one Aryna Sabalenka to pause her third round match and flag the smell to the chair umpire. Disruptions of this kind are rare at Grand Slam level, but the smell of marijuana smoke has now become a recurring talking point at this year's tournament.

## What happened at Louis Armstrong Stadium
The incident took place during Sabalenka's third round match against Kamilla Rakhimova at Louis Armstrong Stadium. As Sabalenka walked to the south end of the court to serve, she was hit by a strong smell of marijuana smoke drifting in from somewhere in the crowd. The smell was strong enough to break her concentration, and she walked straight up to chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore to report it. She told the umpire that someone among the spectators was smoking weed and that the smoke was reaching the court. Sabalenka said, "Someone is smoking weed. Do you mind? Because it's so strong." The exchange was referenced by a social media account called The Tennis Letter on X on September 4, 2026, which quoted her comments to the umpire.

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## How the umpire and tournament staff responded
As soon as Asderaki-Moore heard the complaint, she immediately alerted tournament officials and signalled to staff to flag the smoking so it could be traced. Members of the US Open team then went up into the stands to try to locate where the smell was coming from. The whole exercise, however, did not hold up the match for long, and Sabalenka was ready to resume play within a few minutes. The brief interruption had no visible effect on her form: she went on to beat Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 in the third round, sending her through to the fourth round.

## A complaint that has followed the tournament since it began
This is not the first time the smell of marijuana smoke has been raised at this year's US Open. Players had flagged very similar problems right at the start of the tournament as well, which suggests this is not a one-off incident but a recurring issue through the fortnight. The reason is straightforward: in New York, where the tournament is being staged, marijuana, or weed, is legal, just as it is for adults over the age of 21 across the rest of the United States, which makes it difficult to stop people from smoking it in the open areas around the stadium. Smoking of any kind is banned inside the stadium premises during matches, but smoke drifting in from the adjoining park keeps finding its way onto the court, becoming a recurring irritant for players in the middle of play. Unless surveillance is stepped up in the public areas surrounding the stadium, such complaints could keep resurfacing as the tournament progresses.

## What this means for you
This incident has a direct bearing on spectators, players and organisers connected to major tennis events.

- **For spectators:** The existing strict ban on smoking inside stadium premises could be enforced even more tightly going forward. If complaints keep mounting, organisers may step up monitoring and staff presence in the park areas surrounding the stadium.
- **For players:** Complaints about marijuana smoke breaking concentration mid-match are now being taken seriously by umpires and staff, meaning future complaints are likely to trigger a quicker on-the-spot response.
- **For organisers:** Repeated complaints put pressure on US Open management to tighten controls in the areas just outside the stadium. Since marijuana is legal for adults in New York, stopping it entirely is not straightforward, so this issue could keep resurfacing through the tournament.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Why did Sabalenka complain?
While walking to serve, she was hit by a very strong smell of marijuana smoke that broke her concentration.

### 2. Where did this happen?
It happened at Louis Armstrong Stadium during Aryna Sabalenka's third round match against Kamilla Rakhimova.

### 3. What did Sabalenka say to the umpire?
She said, "Someone is smoking weed. Do you mind? Because it's so strong."

### 4. What did the umpire do after the complaint?
Chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore immediately alerted tournament officials and signalled staff to flag the smoking, after which the team went into the stands to trace the smell.

### 5. Was the match held up for long?
No, Sabalenka was ready to resume play again within a few minutes.

### 6. What was the result of the match?
Sabalenka beat Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 to reach the fourth round.

### 7. Why is smoking marijuana legal in the US?
Marijuana is legal for adults over 21 in the United States, particularly in New York, which makes it hard to stop entirely.

### 8. Was this the first such complaint at the US Open?
No, players had raised similar smell-related complaints right at the start of the tournament as well.

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