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· collected 2026-09-04 · by Reuters
Aryna Sabalenka interrupted her US Open third-round match against Kamilla Rakhimova on Friday to report a strong smell of cannabis drifting onto the court from outside the Louis Armstrong Stadium. The top seed, who was leading 3-0 in the set, told umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore that someone was smoking weed and asked for the odor to be kept away from the court. Sabalenka said she had smelled cannabis before during the tournament but never so strongly during a match, attributing it to the wind carrying the smell into the stadium. The incident highlights a recurring issue at Flushing Meadows, where recreational cannabis is legal in New York and smoke can drift onto the courts from the surrounding park.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one tennis player from Belarus, interrupted her match against Kamilla Rakhimova of Uzbekistan at the US Open on Friday due to a strong smell of cannabis in the air. During the second service game, Sabalenka told umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore, "Someone is smoking weed. Do you mind? Because it's so strong." Despite the distraction, Sabalenka went on to win the match 6-3, 6-4. She later stated that she was not objecting to anyone enjoying themselves, but asked for the smoking to be kept away from the court. The smell of cannabis has become a common issue at Flushing Meadows, where smoking is not permitted inside the grounds.
Written for “Sabalenka US Open Disruption” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but none of the 2 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 4019: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-04
World number one Aryna Sabalenka had an unusual interruption during her US Open third-round match, stopping play to alert the umpire to a strong smell of cannabis drifting onto the Louis Armstrong Stadium court.
asserted
Sabalenka → have → court
Sabalenka, who had made a fast start to go 3-0 ahead before securing a straight-sets win against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova, raised the issue during her second service game on Friday, pointing out the smell before play resumed.
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asserted
Jackman → make → Benzema
The stars unable to shine
asserted
stars → shine → ?
“Someone is smoking weed,” top seed Sabalenka told umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore as she was serving 30-0 up.
asserted
she → smoke → Moore
“Would you mind to… because it’s so strong.”
asserted
it → mind → ?
Sabalenka later told reporters she was not objecting to anyone enjoying themselves, but asked for the smoking to be kept away from the court.
asserted
smoking → tell → court
“I was like, Guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please to not do it around the tennis courts,” a smiling Sabalenka said.
asserted
you → do → courts
“It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best.”
asserted
you → ’ → best
The odour of cannabis has become a familiar — if unwelcome — feature at Flushing Meadows, with players complaining about the distraction in the past.
asserted
players → become → past
While smoking is not permitted inside the grounds, recreational cannabis is legal for adults 21 and older in New York, and smoke from people in the surrounding Flushing Meadows-Corona Park can drift into the tennis complex and onto the courts.
asserted
smoke → permit → courts
Sabalenka said she had smelled cannabis before during the tournament but never so strongly during a match, with Friday’s wind apparently carrying the odour into the stadium.
asserted
wind → say → stadium
Also, because it was a bit windy,” she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
“I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium.
asserted
wind → know → stadium
“I just hope they are a bit more aware of that stuff,” she added, before laughing when the questions returned to the subject.
asserted
questions → hope → subject
I think there is nothing else to say about weed.
asserted
I → think → weed
I’m just asking people not to smoke it next to the tennis court.”
asserted
I → ask → court
