Aryna Sabalenka had to pause her US Open third-round match against Kamilla Rakhimova after a strong smell started drifting through Louis Armstrong Stadium.

The World No. 1 flagged it directly to chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore mid-match, according to The Tennis Letter's X post.

"Someone is smoking w***. Do you mind? Because it's so strong," said Sabalenka. 

Play resumed shortly after, as can be seen in the X clip shared by The Tennis Letter, and the smell did nothing to slow Sabalenka down. She closed out a 6-3, 6-4 win to move into the fourth round against Taylor Townsend.

The stoppage barely registered as a blip for the two-time defending champion, who kept her focus intact and stayed on track for another deep run at Flushing Meadows.

In her post-match press conference, a reporter asked how "high" the atmosphere felt compared to other majors she's played.

"High? The level? Now I can only hear w*** stuff. If they're gonna keep smoking, I might get high," said Sabalenka humorously, while discussing the brief halt. 

Why Aryna Sabalenka says the smell caught her off guard

During the post-match presser shared by Tennis Letter’s X account, another reporter asked whether this was the first time she had noticed it that strong at a major. Sabalenka pointed to conditions on the day rather than it being a recurring issue.

"That strong? Yeah. Also because it was a bit windy. I don't know if it was coming from the crowd or the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium," said Sabalenka. 

She added that she hoped organizers and fans alike would be a little more aware of how far the smell travels once it gets inside the stadium bowl.

The Belarusian made clear she wasn't trying to police anyone's fun, just asking for a bit more distance from the court itself.

"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,” added Sabalenka. “It's a bit tricky to handle that smell while you're trying to compete at your best."

For Sabalenka, the whole episode barely registered as a distraction by the time she walked off with the win. She raised it, got an answer, and moved on to whatever comes next in her title defense.

Written by

Rudra Dubey