Can you even believe what went down on the court at the US Open last Friday? Aryna Sabalenka, the absolute force and two-time defending champion, actually had to hit the brakes early in her third-round match against Kamilla Rakhimova. She paused the whole thing, not for a medical timeout or a bad call, but because the smell of marijuana in the stadium was so intense it was getting to her. Afterwards, Sabalenka said it wasn’t just a faint whiff, either; she described it as “as strong as she had ever smelled the odor.” You’ve gotta wonder what’s going through an athlete’s head when something like that stops play at a major tournament.
Seriously, What Was That Smell?
Sabalenka didn’t mince words about how distracting the smell was. She told the Associated Press, “I don’t know if it was, like, coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium.” It sounds like the scent was just everywhere, making it tough to focus when you’re trying to compete at your peak. She made a point of saying she hoped people would “be a bit more aware of that stuff” moving forward. Imagine being a top-tier athlete, locked in a crucial match, and your concentration gets derailed by something so unexpected. That’s a wild card nobody saw coming for a US Open contest.
Winning Despite the Haze: Sabalenka’s Take
Officials actually checked it out after Sabalenka approached the chair umpire about the smell. Guess what? No fans were found smoking inside the stadium, so it likely drifted in from outside the grounds. Sabalenka, ever the professional, made it clear she’s not against people enjoying themselves. She’s got “no issue with people smoking outside of the stadium,” but she’s got a pretty reasonable request: “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. It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best.” Despite this truly bizarre interruption, Sabalenka absolutely cruised to a win, taking the match 6-3, 6-4. She even managed to joke about it afterwards, saying, “Maybe it’s too fast so they want to slow down a little bit, so who knows. I don’t know the effect from it.”
What a performance from Sabalenka, shaking off something so weird to keep her title defense alive. She’s moving on, still eyeing that three-peat at the US Open. Who knows what other wild stuff might happen in her matches, but you know she’ll be ready for it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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