Townsend had the crowd on her side at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but was ultimately no match for the top-ranked women's player.

The world No. 1 was playing Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova on Louis Armstrong Stadium, the second-biggest court.

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka had to stop her match against Kamilla Rakhimova because of the overwhelming smell of marijuana at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

The marquee battle at Arthur Ashe Stadium pits World No. 1 Sabalenka against the unseeded home-crowd favorite Taylor Townsend.

Tennis superstar Aryna Sabalenka was forced to stop her US Open match to complain to the chair umpire about a strong smell of marijuana.

NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka finally found something that could stop her at the U.S. Open: the smell of marijuana. The two-time defending champion complained to the chair umpire that it was bothering her early in her third-round victory over Kamilla Rakhimova on Friday.

Sabalenka had an earlier exchange with a reporter during her first post-match press conference this week when she was asked about how she maintains her energy for the event. Sabalenka defeated Polina 6-1, 6-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium and will face Kamilla Rakhimova in the third round of the U.S. Open.

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Women's tennis star Aryna Sabalenka complained about the smell of marijuana during her match at the US Open on Friday.

Of all the things that might interrupt a US Open match, a spectator smoking m***juana in the stands would definitely rank among the more unlikely culprits. And yet, that is apparently exactly what happened during Aryna Sabalenka‘s third-round match on Friday.