‘Smells like human waste’: US Open fans furious over stench at stadium

The creator claimed that staff at the venue were already aware of the problem but had continued seating spectators in the affected area. “We paid to attend the US Open and should not have to sit for hours in an area that smells like human waste. How is this acceptable?”

Several spectators also took to the comments to share similar experiences. One person claimed, “I was in section 310 yesterday. It was so bad! After I complained, guest services moved us for like the last 10 min of the Alcaraz Paul match.”. “Really disappointing to have to sit through it for so long [but] we spent so much [money] on tickets.”

Another attendee said the issue had apparently been noticed even before the tournament’s main matches began. “We were smelling this during FAN WEEK and reported it. Crazy. Especially when 300-level tickets are still going for [over] $800,” the commenter said, as per the New York Post.

Oliver Viel, who attended the tournament, posted a video describing his experience. “POV: You spent $300 to go to the US Open. But it smells like sewage and you can’t watch,” he wrote.

Viel later described the odor as “insanely bad” and attributed it to what he believed was poor ventilation around the heavily used bathrooms.

The complaints come shortly after another unusual smell-related incident at the US Open. Tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, 28, briefly stopped her third-round match at Louis Armstrong Stadium after noticing the smell of marijuana coming from the crowd.

“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 after the match. “It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best.”