Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts during a match against Camila Osorio, of Colombia, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Aryna Sabalenka has joked that she might “get high” herself if the cannabis smell keeps drifting around the US Open after briefly stopping her third-round match to complain about it.The world No.1 was playing Kamilla Rakhimova in Louis Armstrong Stadium when she noticed the strong smell and approached chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore while leading 3-0 in the opening set.Sabalenka ultimately brushed off the interruption and produced one of her strongest performances of the tournament, beating Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 to reach the fourth round without dropping a set.But the cannabis smell came up again in her post-match press conference, where Sabalenka revealed just how noticeable it had been.

Sabalenka explains why she stopped the match

Sabalenka initially believed the smell could have been coming from somewhere in the crowd.While leading 3-0, she called over Asderaki-Moore and told the umpire: “Someone is smoking weed, do you mind … because it’s so strong.”Officials briefly searched the crowd, although they were unable to identify the source.Speaking afterwards, Sabalenka said she had no issue with people enjoying themselves away from the competition.“I was like, guys you can do whatever. You can smoke, whatever. You can relax as much as you can. But please don’t do it around the tennis courts,” she said.“It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best.”The Belarusian was then asked how “high” she was compared with the other Grand Slam tournaments, prompting a laugh and a joke that suggested the smell had already become difficult to escape.“High? The level?” Sabalenka said. “Now I can only hear weed stuff. If they’re gonna keep smoking I might get high.”Sabalenka was also asked whether it was the first time she had encountered such a strong smell while playing in New York.“That strong? Yeah,” she replied.She suggested the wind may have played a part, leaving her uncertain about exactly where the smell had come from.“Also because it was a bit windy. I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or the outside because wind blows it into the stadium,” Sabalenka said.“I just hope they’re gonna be a bit more aware of that stuff.”Cannabis is legal in New York, and the smell has become a familiar talking point around the US Open in recent years. However, smoking is prohibited inside the tournament grounds.British player Katie Boulter had also spoken about smelling cannabis around the outer courts earlier in the tournament, saying she had experienced it while playing on Court 17.

Sabalenka finds her rhythm as Townsend awaits

The interruption did little to derail Sabalenka's progress.The two-time defending US Open champion faced a challenging test from Rakhimova but eventually came through in straight sets, backed by a superb serving display.She hit 10 aces, faced zero break points and moved into the round of 16 without dropping a set.That is significant given the form Sabalenka brought into New York. The world No.1 had not reached another final since winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back in March, leaving her searching for consistency as she attempted to defend her title.She is also fighting to retain the No.1 ranking. Sabalenka has held the top spot for 97 weeks, but will lose it unless she wins her third consecutive US Open title and world No.2 Elena Rybakina loses before the semi-finals.

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns the ball to Kamilla Rakhimova, of Uzbekistan, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Her next opponent will be home favourite Taylor Townsend, who reached the fourth round for a second consecutive year.Townsend followed up her run to the last 16 at last year's US Open by producing another impressive tournament in New York, defeating 15th seed Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3.That means Sabalenka now has a considerably tougher test ahead, but after arriving at the US Open short of her best form, she is beginning to find some rhythm.And if the tennis continues to improve, perhaps the only thing Sabalenka will need to worry about in her next match is the opponent — rather than what is drifting in from somewhere around the stadium.