Aryna Sabalenka, the world No.1 tennis player, stopped play during her third-round US Open match on 2026-09-04 to alert the umpire about a strong cannabis smell on the court at Louis Armstrong Stadium. ^[1] Aryna Sabalenka defeated Polina Iatcenko 6-1, 6-1 in 53 minutes on Wednesday night to reach the third round of the US Open. ^[2] Aryna Sabalenka defeated Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets to reach the fourth round of the US Open at Flushing Meadows. ^[3] Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one tennis player, criticized a reporter for suggesting her off-court activities during the US Open involved 'parties and fun' instead of training. ^[4] At the time of the interruption, Sabalenka was leading 3-0 against Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova. ^[5] Sabalenka arrived at the tournament after losing in the fourth round of her past three tournaments and needing help to stay atop the WTA rankings. ^[6] Sabalenka, the top seed, is aiming to become the first player to win three consecutive titles in Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams from 2012 to 2014. ^[7] Sabalenka pointed to the stands and complained to the chair umpire about a strong smell of marijuana coming from the spectators. ^[8] In the second set, Rakhimova came from behind four consecutive times to hold serve and saved four break points before Sabalenka finally broke her serve in the ninth game. ^[9] Kamilla Rakhimova took Sabalenka to deuce three times in the seventh game of the first set before Sabalenka won the set 6-3. ^[10] Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, led 3-0 in the opening set without missing a single first serve until the seventh game. ^[11] Sabalenka stated that her off-court appearances with brands did not come at the expense of her preparations for the grand slam. ^[12]