Maria Sakkari says she ‘smelt weed’ during her shock exit to Rebeka Masarova in the first round of the US Open on Monday.
The Greek tennis star went into the clash as the eighth seed but lost 6-4 6-4 to world No.71 Rebeka Masarova at the Grand Slam in New York.
Sakkari reached the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows two years ago but her form at the major tournaments has taken a dip since that run.
The 28-year-old has now suffered first-round defeats at three Grand Slams this year following her opening exits at the French Open and then Wimbledon.
In her post-match interview, Sakkari revealed that she could smell marijuana during her loss to Masarova.
‘It was weed,’ Sakkari said. ‘The smell, oh my gosh. I think it’s from the park.
‘You don’t really think about it, because all you care is just to win the match. I smelled it, but that was it. Like, it wasn’t something that I paid attention to.’
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Nick Kyrgios, who missed this year’s US Open due to injury, complained about smelling marijuana during a match at last year’s tournament.
Elsewhere at the US Open on Monday, British qualifier Lily Miyazaki earned her first-ever win at a Grand Slam with a 6-3 6-3 victory over Margarita Betova.
Meanwhile, there was a significant shock in the men’s singles as world No.4 Holger Rune crashed out to unseeded Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.
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