Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka reactsed when she smelled weed during her US Open women's singles third round match in which she eventually defeated Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova on day six of the tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.
Social Media users put their weight behind two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka after she complained about "someone smoking weed", which prompted her to briefly halt play midway through her round three match against Kamilla Rakhimova at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Sabalenka complained to the chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore about the apparent weed smell and later also joked that she "might get high" due to it. Following Sabalenka's 6-3, 6-4 win, social media has been buzzing over the alleged cannabis smell, as users backed the World No.1.
"'Sabalenka halts play over cannabis smell' - I thought only Wimbledon was played on grass," former Labour MP for Cardiff West, Kevin Brennan, wrote in a caption on social media as he shared the BBC report.
"Aryna Sabalenka had to speak to the umpire mid-match at the U.S. Open due to someone smoking weed: 'Someone is smoking weed. Do you mind? Because it’s so strong,'" a user wrote on X.
