US Open 2023: Maria Sakkari detects unusual odor during surprising early defeat

World number eight Maria Sakkari smells “weed” on court during US Open match

In a surprising turn of events at the US Open, world number eight Maria Sakkari claimed to have detected the scent of “weed” on court during her straight-set loss to Rebeka Masarova. The Greek tennis player was defeated by the Spanish world number 71 in the first round of the final Grand Slam tournament of the year.

Sakkari had initially been leading with a score of 4-1 in the first set when she signaled to the umpire about an unusual smell permeating around them. She attributed it possibly coming from a nearby park but found it distracting nonetheless.

This unfortunate loss marks Sakkari’s third consecutive early exit at a Grand Slam event this year, having also fallen in the first round at both French Open and Wimbledon.

“We were practicing here yesterday and it was just as strong,” said Sakkari during her post-match news conference. Despite making her complaint known, she emphasized that she did not use this peculiar odor as an excuse for her defeat: “It wasn’t affecting my scoring; it was simply an observation.”