Sabalenka reaches US Open fourth round amid cannabis controversy

Two-time defending champion Erin Sabalenka continued her impressive run at the US Open to advance to the fourth round. The world number one moved one step closer to her fifth Grand Slam title with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Kamila Rakhimova in the third round on Friday.

On a hot morning at Flushing Meadows, Sabalenka was very aggressive from the start. She broke her opponent’s serve in the first set and took control of the match. After the match, she stood on the court and said with a smile, “This is the first time I’ve played in the morning session, and that too in a stadium full of spectators. I’m really grateful, it’s like a dream for me.”

Sabalenka displayed her power-packed serve throughout the match. She hit 10 aces throughout the match and did not face any break points. She even lost only four points on her first serve. “I felt great,” she told reporters later. “The stats were incredible. At one point, I saw on the screen that it was showing 100 percent first serve success. I was a little surprised to see that.”

However, Sabalenka faced a different kind of incident in the first set. She reported the strong smell of marijuana to umpire Eva Asderaki-Mohr when she suddenly smelled it on the Louis Armstrong Stadium court. The smell caused a brief stoppage in play.

In the second set, however, Rakhimova continued to fight back, fending off Sabalenka’s powerful serve and saving four break points of her own. But in the end, Sabalenka took the necessary break point with a perfect return and secured the victory.

Praising her opponent, Sabalenka said, “She played incredible in the second set. She challenged me hard, which helped me bring out my best. I’m very happy to finish the match in both sets.”

With the win, Sabalenka has won 16 consecutive matches at the US Open. The Belarusian star is aiming to become the first female player to win a hat-trick since Serena Williams won three consecutive titles from 2012 to 2014.

Feeling of home environment

After a string of successes at the year-end Grand Slam, the hard courts at Flushing Meadows now feel like home to Sabalenka. “I love New York City so much. That’s probably why I feel at home here. Of all the Grand Slams, this is the court I feel most comfortable on,” she said.

Sabalenka will face either American Taylor Townsend or Russian Diana Schneider in the fourth round. A tough test awaits her, whether it’s playing against Townsend, who has a huge American fan base, or facing Schneider again, who beat her in the quarterfinals of the French Open.

Sabalenka made it clear that she is prepared to face the backlash from local fans. “It’s normal that they will support their own players more than me,” she said. “Now I’ve learned to accept it as normal. I’m quite good at focusing on my game without paying attention to any outside noise or noise.”