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Aryna Sabalenka interrupted her US Open match against Kamilla Rakhimova to complain about a strong smell of cannabis in Louis Armstrong Stadium, reigniting debate over crowd behaviour at Flushing Meadows.
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World number one Aryna Sabalenka found herself dealing with more than just her opponent during her US Open clash against Kamilla Rakhimova on Friday. The Belarusian stopped play mid-match to alert the chair umpire about a potent smell of cannabis wafting through Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Sabalenka had started brightly, racing to two break points early on. Rakhimova saved the first with an ace but couldn't hold off the top seed, who broke serve shortly after. It was then that Sabalenka paused proceedings, telling the umpire the smell was too strong and asking for something to be done about it.
She isn't the only one raising concerns. Adrian Mannarino has been vocal about deteriorating conditions for players, pointing to spectators now being permitted to move freely during points - something he believes is a genuine distraction. Mannarino noted that between the noise and the odours, the playing environment at Flushing Meadows has shifted noticeably.
Former pros John Isner and Sam Querrey took a more relaxed view. Both suggested the smell is simply part of the New York experience and hardly worth losing sleep over. In their estimation, it's a non-issue that players should be able to shrug off.
Whether or not tournament organisers act on the complaints remains to be seen, but the debate around crowd behaviour at the US Open shows no sign of fading.
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Eva Hernández, Editor-in-Chief
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