Aryna Sabalenka came out flying. Three games in, 3-0 up, the world number one looked locked in on Louis Armstrong Stadium on Friday.
Then she stopped.
Not for an injury. Not for a disputed line call. For the smell.
Sabalenka walked toward the chair and pointed it out: a strong waft of cannabis drifting across the court, cutting through the usual cocktail of sweat, sunscreen and stadium food that defines a New York night at the US Open.
Play paused briefly during her second service game as she raised the issue with the umpire. No lengthy debate, no drama, just a clear complaint and a momentary break in rhythm before she went back to the baseline and the match resumed.
The smell itself is no stranger here. In recent years, that unmistakable odour has become an unwelcome subplot at Flushing Meadows, with several players remarking on how distracting it can be during matches. Louis Armstrong Stadium, open to the elements and flanked by Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, sits right in the path of whatever the breeze decides to carry in.
Tournament rules are clear: smoking is not allowed inside the grounds. New York state law is just as clear in another direction: recreational cannabis is legal for adults over 21. That combination has created a grey zone on the perimeter, where smoke from the park can drift over fences, into the complex and, as Sabalenka discovered, straight onto the show courts.
On Friday, even the top seed — usually insulated from most of the chaos that swirls around the outside courts — found herself dealing with one of the US Open’s more peculiar modern quirks. At Flushing Meadows, the challenge isn’t only the opponent across the net. Sometimes, it’s the city itself blowing in on the wind.
