Aryna Sabalenka: Tennis world number one stops play as she complains about strong smell of cannabis at US Open

World number one Aryna Sabalenka stopped play in her latest US Open match as she complained to an official about a strong smell of cannabis.

The Belarusian tennis star alerted the chair umpire to the odour that was drifting into Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York.

She raised the issue during her second service game in her third-round match against Uzbek opponent Kamilla Rakhimova.

She told the umpire, Eva Asderaki-Moore: "Someone is smoking weed."

"Would you mind," she continued, gesturing towards her end of the court, "because it's so strong".

Members of US Open staff reportedly headed into the crowd in an attempt to find the source of the smell.

Play later resumed and Sabalenka, who is seeking a third straight ​title in New York to ‌emulate Serena Williams and Chris Evert, went on to win the match in straight sets 6-3 6-4.

The odour of cannabis has become ‌a familiar feature at Flushing Meadows, with players complaining about ‌the distraction recently and in previous years.

Britain's Katie Boulter said last month that the smell is putting her off her game.

She said: "I'm not a huge fan of it. I know a lot of players have complained on some of the specific courts. I've played on one before and I did smell it during my match.

"It's something that I wouldn't like to smell in the middle of my match. I'm trying to focus and then obviously, it takes you out of the moment and you really don't want to.

"You don't need distractions. So yeah, I wasn't a huge fan of it."

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In 2022, Australian Nick Kyrgios said the odour of cannabis that permeated Louis Armstrong Stadium during his second-round match left him fearing it could aggravate his asthma.

Kyrgios complained to the umpire about the smell, which led to a warning to the crowd to "refrain from smoking".

And a year later, Greece's Maria Sakkari complained about an overwhelming whiff of pot during her first-round loss.

At that same tournament, Germany's Alexander Zverev said: "Oh my God, it's everywhere. The whole court smells like weed."

Smoking is not allowed inside the tournament grounds.

But recreational cannabis is legal for ⁠adults aged 21 and over in New ​York.

And smoke from ​people in the surrounding Flushing ​Meadows Corona Park can drift into the ⁠tennis complex and on to the courts.

Meanwhile, two-time champion Naomi Osaka has called for spectators at the US Open to respect tennis etiquette after social media influencers sparked debate by disrupting her first-round match.

Around 100 influencers and content creators have been accredited for this year's tournament, twice as many as last year, as organisers seek to reach new audiences.

The Japanese star said the chair umpire had repeatedly called for quiet during her 6-2 5-7 6-1 second-round victory over Katerina Siniakova on Thursday.

"I think obviously if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport," she said.

"I feel like it's common courtesy to read up on the sport, especially the etiquette."

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