Aryna Sabalenka pushed past the distraction to complete a straight-sets win over Kamilla Rakhimova. (Getty Images/USTA: Jeff Dean)
World number one Aryna Sabalenka halted her US Open match against Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova after claiming she could smell cannabis.
The odour of cannabis is common at Flushing Meadows.
Sabalenka put the distraction to the side to win 6-3, 6-4 and move through to the fourth round.
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 Louis Armstrong Stadium court.
The world number one, who secured a 6-3, 6-4 win against Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova, raised the issue during her second service game, pointing out the smell before play resumed.
"Someone is smoking weed," top seed Sabalenka told umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore as she was serving 30-0 up.
"Do you mind? Because it's so strong."
Sabalenka later told reporters she was not objecting to anyone enjoying themselves but pleaded for the smoking to be kept away from the court.
"I was like, 'Guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please not do it around the tennis courts,'" a smiling Sabalenka said.
"It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best."
The odour of cannabis has become a familiar — if unwelcome — feature at Flushing Meadows, with players complaining about the distraction in the past.
While smoking is not permitted inside the grounds, recreational cannabis is legal for adults over 21 in New York.
Smoke from people in the surrounding Flushing Meadows-Corona Park can drift into the tennis complex and on to the courts.
Sabalenka said she had previously smelled cannabis at the tournament but never so strongly during a match, with the wind apparently carrying the odour into the stadium.
