Aryna Sabalenka Pauses US Open Match Over Strong Marijuana Smell in Stands
During her third-round US Open match against Kamilla Rakhimova at Louis Armstrong Stadium, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka briefly stopped play to complain about a strong smell of marijuana coming from the stands. Sabalenka alerted umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore, who contacted officials to address the issue. Despite the distraction, Sabalenka won the match in straight sets. The cannabis odor has been a recurring concern at the tournament, with players noting its impact amid New York's legal recreational cannabis laws and smoking bans inside the venue.
First-hand measurement across 10 sources
We measured how 10 outlets covered this story. No outlet gave this story a measurable political slant — there is no left–right reading to report. Overall sentiment is neutral (52/100). Lens Score 30/100.
Outlets measured: indianexpress, hindustantimes, indiatoday, hindustantimes, mint, economictimes, news18, indiatvnews, and 2 more. See how each one headlined and framed the same story in the source comparison below.
AI Analysis
Sentiment was consistent across outlets (50–62/100), indicating broadly factual reporting rather than editorialising.
Coverage timeline
indiatoday broke this story on 4 Sept, 05:06 pm. Other outlets followed.