World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka briefly interrupted her third-round US Open match at Flushing Meadows on Friday to alert the chair umpire that cannabis smoke drifting into Arthur Ashe Stadium was affecting her concentration, before completing a straight-sets victory to move into the fourth round of her title defense.
The incident occurred during Sabalenka’s match against Spain’s Rebeka Masarova, with the Belarusian pausing play to speak to the official. “Someone is smoking weed,” Sabalenka told the umpire, according to on-court audio picked up by broadcasters. “I’m not going to be able to, like, breathe.” After a brief exchange, play resumed and Sabalenka closed out the match in straight sets.
The episode drew attention to a recurring issue at the New York venue, where the open roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium and surrounding parkland make it difficult for organizers to shield players from ambient odors carried in from outside the grounds.
What happened
Sabalenka, the top seed and two-time defending champion in New York, was playing her third-round match against Masarova when she noticed the smell of cannabis drifting onto the court. The 27-year-old gestured toward the upper levels of the stadium and spoke to the chair umpire, prompting a short delay while the official addressed the concern.
The interruption lasted only seconds. Sabalenka reset, and after dropping the first set tiebreak she rallied to take the match in straight sets, advancing to the fourth round of the tournament. She did not lose her serve in the deciding sets and closed out the victory without further complaint.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA), which organizes the US Open, has not publicly commented on the incident. The governing body did not announce any disciplinary action against spectators or changes to its bag or entry policies in response to the complaint.
Carlos Alcaraz, the men’s top seed, also advanced to the fourth round on Friday with a straight-sets win of his own, keeping his pursuit of a second US Open title on track.
Why it matters
The complaint highlighted a tension at one of tennis’s biggest venues: New York state legalized recreational marijuana for adults in 2021, but public consumption remains restricted, and the US Open’s location inside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park places spectators in close proximity to outdoor public spaces where smoking is permitted under city rules.
For elite competitors operating at the margins of concentration, even mild sensory disruption can become a competitive issue. Sabalenka is known for her vocal presence on court, and her decision to halt play signaled that she viewed the odor as a meaningful obstacle rather than a minor inconvenience. That framing has drawn both support and ribbing on social media, with fans and commentators debating whether the complaint was reasonable given the venue’s exposure to outdoor air.
The episode also raised practical questions for tournament organizers. Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis arena in the world, features a retractable roof that is typically left open during early-round day sessions to allow natural ventilation, increasing the venue’s exposure to smoke and odors from the surrounding park.
Background and context
Cannabis odor complaints at outdoor sporting events in New York City have become a recurring issue since the state legalized recreational marijuana for those 21 and older in March 2021. Under the Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act, adults may possess up to three ounces of cannabis for personal use and consume it in private settings, but public consumption remains illegal, with violations treated as a noncriminal violation subject to a fine.
New York City rules permit smoking in designated outdoor areas, and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the public park that surrounds the US Open’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, includes such areas along its perimeter. Spectators entering the tennis center pass through the park, and the venue does not screen all entrants for cannabis, treating the substance the same way as tobacco under its spectator code of conduct.
The US Open’s spectator policy prohibits smoking of any kind inside the stadium bowl and on the venue’s grounds, but enforcement has historically been limited to visible violations inside the gates. Odors drifting in from the surrounding park fall into a gray area: technically originating outside the venue’s jurisdiction while physically affecting players and fans inside.
For Sabalenka, this year’s US Open is her third consecutive title defense at Flushing Meadows after winning the tournament in 2024 and 2025. She entered the 2026 event as the top seed and heavy favorite, having won three of the last four hardcourt majors.
Masarova, her third-round opponent, is a 26-year-old Spanish player currently ranked outside the top 50. Sabalenka’s straight-sets victory extended her head-to-head advantage over Masarova and kept her on track for a potential semifinal meeting with Alcaraz’s compatriot in the men’s draw or a final clash with one of the game’s emerging hardcourt threats.
What to watch next
The USTA is expected to address the incident in its daily tournament press notes, and may revisit its spectator entry procedures before the fourth round matches resume. Organizers have previously declined to overhaul cannabis-specific policies, citing the substance’s legal status in New York, but the high-profile complaint from the world’s top-ranked player could prompt renewed discussion about designated smoking areas near the venue perimeter.
Sabalenka is scheduled to play her fourth-round match on Sunday against the winner of Friday’s late match. A victory would move her into the quarterfinals and within three matches of a third consecutive US Open title.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, will face his fourth-round opponent on Sunday as well, with the men’s draw shaping up for a potential semifinal meeting between the world’s top two players if both advance. Tournament organizers are monitoring weather forecasts, as rain is expected to affect the schedule through the early part of next week.
Analysis:
Cannabis odor complaints at New York sporting venues reflect an unresolved tension between the state’s 2021 legalization framework and the practical realities of hosting outdoor events in public parks. The legal framework permits private consumption and regulates sales, but leaves public consumption to local jurisdictions, which have struggled to enforce clear boundaries. At Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the result is a venue whose perimeter sits within steps of legal outdoor smoking areas, leaving tournament organizers with limited options when odor drifts into competition spaces.
For professional athletes, the incident underscores how environmental factors beyond weather and lighting can affect competition. Sensory disruptions have long been part of outdoor tennis, where players must contend with crowd noise, airplane flyovers, and shifting wind. Cannabis odor is a newer variable, and one whose frequency is likely to increase as legalization spreads across the United States and Canada, where several major tournaments are held.
The USTA’s silence on Friday suggests the organization is treating the episode as an isolated incident rather than a systemic issue. Whether that posture holds will depend on whether similar complaints recur during the tournament’s second week, when matches are played in front of larger crowds and under primetime television conditions where any interruption is more visible.
Conclusion
Sabalenka’s brief complaint about cannabis smoke at Arthur Ashe Stadium turned a routine third-round match into a talking point about venue policy, public consumption rules, and the practical limits of hosting a major sporting event in a public park. Her straight-sets victory preserved her title defense and her status as the tournament’s top seed, but the episode left organizers with an open question about how to handle odor complaints as recreational marijuana becomes more normalized around major events. The USTA’s response, or lack of one, will shape whether this remains a one-off incident or the first of several such complaints before the final on September 7.
Sources
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/sep/04/someone-is-smoking-weed-sabalenka-halts-us-open-match-due-to-cannabis-smell
Source: Guardian International
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Story synopsis gathered from: Guardian International — source
