Aryna Sabalenka barely gave Kamilla Rakhimova a look-in on the scoreboard. The top seed marched into the fourth round of the US Open with a routine 6:3, 6:4 win on Louis Armstrong Stadium, but the straight-sets victory was not the only talking point.
Midway through the match, Sabalenka stopped play and turned to the chair umpire, clearly unhappy. The issue wasn’t a line call, the lights, or the crowd noise. It was the smell.
A strong waft of cannabis drifted across the court, and the Belarusian made her feelings known. She later made it clear she has no issue with people relaxing, but drew a line at smoke reaching the court, saying the smell makes it hard to concentrate during competition.
On court, though, her focus barely wavered. According to TimesLIVE, Rakhimova did not see a single break point. Sabalenka controlled the baseline, locked in on return, and closed the match without allowing the Uzbek player a way back.
The setting added to the odd contrast. Smoking is banned on the US Open grounds, yet recreational cannabis is legal in New York. With Flushing Meadows-Corona Park wrapping around the tennis complex, smoke from the park can drift into the venue, and on this occasion it did.
Sabalenka moves on to face American Taylor Townsend next. Townsend came through a far more turbulent encounter, outlasting Diana Shnaider 6:2, 6:7 (3:7), 6:3. The matchup promises a clash of styles: Sabalenka’s raw power against Townsend’s variety and willingness to come forward.
Alcaraz back from injury and back in charge
On the men’s side, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz delivered the kind of performance that settles any doubts about his fitness.
The Spaniard, returning to New York after more than four months out with a wrist injury, brushed aside Wu Yibing 6:3, 6:4, 6:1. He tightened his grip on the match with each set, turning a competitive opening into a procession by the third.
Alcaraz has spoken about feeling better with every match and admitted he is surprised by the speed of his recovery. The tennis, though, looks familiar: explosive movement, sharp changes of pace, and a readiness to step in on big points.
Next up for him is 20th seed Tommy Paul, a test that will say even more about where the defending champion’s level truly is.
Medvedev, Tiafoe, Shelton advance
Daniil Medvedev produced a clinical, almost metronomic display to move through. The former US Open champion dismissed Arthur Rinderknech 6:4, 6:4, 6:4, locking into his usual deep-court rhythm and refusing to let the Frenchman breathe on return games.
Frances Tiafoe, seeded 11th, kept his own campaign on track with a 6:4, 6:2, 6:4 win over Valentin Vacherot. The American fed off the home support, mixing flair with discipline to avoid the kind of five-set drama that has often followed him in New York.
Ben Shelton needed to work harder. In a booming, serve-heavy contest against Denis Shapovalov, the American edged through 7:6 (7:3), 6:7 (5:7), 6:3, 6:4. He rode out the Canadian’s streaky shot-making, tightened up his own game in the key moments, and used his serve to close the door in the fourth set.
Mixed fortunes for Ukraine’s stars
Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, seeded 11th, delivered one of the more assured performances of the day. She beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6:3, 6:2, striking cleanly off both wings and dictating from the back of the court. The reward is a high-profile meeting with Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, a match-up that will test her ability to sustain this level against one of the season’s standout performers.
For Elina Svitolina, the tournament is over. In a stop-start contest against Anna Kalinskaya, she slipped to a 3:6, 6:2, 3:6 defeat. Svitolina rallied well in the second set, but Kalinskaya regrouped in the decider, found her range again, and shut the door on any late comeback.
As the second week looms, the storylines are already piling up: Sabalenka’s dominance despite distractions, Alcaraz’s rapid resurgence from injury, home hopes building around Tiafoe and Shelton, and Kostyuk eyeing a statement win. The question now is who can turn early momentum into something far bigger on the New York hard courts.
