Aryna Sabalenka Pauses U.S. Open Match to Speak to Umpire About ‘Strong’ Marijuana Smell in Stadium

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Aryna Sabalenka paused her U.S. Open match, citing a strong marijuana smell as a distraction

Officials investigated but did not eject anyone, emphasizing the tournament's smoke-free policy despite New York's marijuana laws

Sabalenka joked about the incident after her win, noting it was challenging to perform with the smell present

Aryna Sabalenka halted her U.S. Open third-round match with a very specific request for the umpire — removing someone who was smoking marijuana in the stadium.

During her opening set against Uzbekistan's Kamilla Rakhimova, the 28-year-old Belarusian tennis star paused the match at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York City to approach chair umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore, according to The Athletic, USA Today and ESPN.

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"Someone is smoking weed, so do you mind … because it's so strong," Sabalenka said.

Asderaki-Moore could then be seen miming a person smoking as she relayed Sabalenka's message to tournament officials inside the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Following her match — which she won 6-3, 6-4, marking her 16th consecutive win at the U.S. Open — Sabalenka told the press that the smell was distracting her.

"I was like, guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please, do not do it around the tennis courts," Sabalenka said at a news conference.

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"It's a bit tricky to handle that smell and perform at your best," the world's No. 1 women's tennis player added. "It was a bit windy; I don't know whether it was coming from the crowd or from outside."

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In a statement shared with PEOPLE, U.S. Open spokesperson Brendan McIntyre said that no one was ejected from the stadium after officials investigated the incident.

"While we can't control what takes place off the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, we continue to be vigilant as we maintain this facility as a smoke free environment," McIntyre said.

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"This includes enforcement by our security and guest services teams when they are made aware of any individual that may be smoking, making them aware that although it may be legal in NY, that smoking is not permitted on parks property including the tennis center," the USTA spokesperson added. "We constantly work with the NYPD and Parks Department, and we believe this has helped to decrease any smoking near our fenceline."

It is legal to smoke marijuana recreationally in New York; however, the city's Parks Department prohibits all smoking and vaping in the city's parks. The U.S. Open also prohibits all smoking, vaping and other electronic smoking devices.

Athletes competing at the New York stadium have reported smelling marijuana during past tournaments, and officials believe that a nearby park is to blame, according to The Athletic.

Sabalenka, the tournament's top seed, was able to laugh off the incident following her winning match.

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"Maybe it's too fast, so they want to slow down a little bit, so who knows," she said. "I don't know the effect from it."

When asked another question about the incident, she joked further: "More about the weed? Come on, guys. You were the one who was smoking, maybe?"

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