Aryna Sabalenka [Credit: Reuters]

The tennis match between world number one Aryna Sabalenka and Kamilla Rakhimova at the U.S Open was briefly halted on Friday due to the strong smell of cannabis inside Flushing Meadows.

Sabalenka raised the issue in the first set of the game, telling the umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore that “someone is smoking weed” before adding “because it’s so strong”.

The umpire subsequently contacted an official through her radio and made a smoking gesture to someone behind her before the match resumed. Sabalenka went on to win the game 6-3 6-4.

Despite smoking being highly prohibited on site at Flushing Meadows, tennis players have regularly complained about the smell of cannabis during their matches at the U.S. Open.

Casper Ruud and  Nick Kyrgios have previously raised concerns about the issue, while Jessica Pegula, Katie Boulter, Fran Jones and Harriet Dart have joined Sabalenka in speaking out at this year’s tournament.

Speaking after the match, Sabalenka said the smell of cannabis made it difficult to concentrate, adding that she was unsure whether it was coming from inside or outside the arena.

“It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best. I don’t know if it was coming from the crowd or was from the outside because the wind blows it into the stadium. I just hope they’re going to be a bit more aware of that stuff,” the 28-year-old stated.

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