By Janina Nuno Rios
NEW YORK, Sept 4 (Reuters) – World number one Aryna Sabalenka had an unusual interruption during her U.S. Open third-round match on Friday, stopping play to alert the umpire to a strong smell of cannabis drifting onto Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Sabalenka, who had made a fast 3-0 start against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova, raised the issue during her second service game, pointing out the smell before play resumed.
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 tournament grounds, recreational cannabis is legal for adults over 21 in New York, and smoke from people in the surrounding Flushing Meadows-Corona Park can drift into the tennis complex and onto the courts.
Even top seed Sabalenka was unable to escape one of the more unexpected elements of the U.S. Open experience.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in New YorkEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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