Updated: August 30, 2007, 10:47 PM ET
Mattek's mother: Tone it down
She was no match for Shahar Peer in the second round, but Bethanie Mattek made quite a statement on Thursday, writes Greg Garber.
FADE TO (SILVER AND) BLACK
NEW YORK -- When Heidi Mattek saw her daughter's U.S. Open first-round dress -- a shiny (and revealing) gold and silver dress -- she was not happy.
"Wear something more conservative," Heidi told Bethanie, forcefully, by phone from the family home in Boca Raton, Fla. As today's parents know, daughters don't always follow their mothers' fashion advice. On Thursday, Mattek came out for her second-round match against Shahar Peer in an outfit that left even less to the imagination, if that is possible.PHOTO OF THE DAY
AP Photo/Kathy Willens
Despite making yet another fashion statement at a Grand Slam event, American Bethanie Mattek was not able to make it out of the second round, losing to Shahar Peer in straight sets.
LUKE AND MURPHY
TOGETHER AGAIN
Rolle
Mattek is a big fan of the Green Bay Packers' Brett Favre, but call this ensemble a tribute to Raider Nation.
It featured a silver spandex tank top that failed to cover much of the critical area that blouses typically keep hidden and left about 2 inches of bare midriff. There was a black- and silver-trimmed pleated skirt, barely stretched over some all-too-visible black knickers. This was topped by a silver-and-black visor. "I thought it was pretty good," Mattek said after losing to the No. 18 seed 6-2, 6-1. "I went to the Bebe Sport headquarters in Los Angeles and worked with their designers. It was a lot of fun." Mattek is out of the singles draw, but she's still alive in doubles with partner Sania Mirza. They are seeded No. 16 and on Thursday defeated the formidable pair of Jelena Jankovic and Severine Bremond in straight sets. There is more, Mattek assured, where Raider Nation came from. "I have another gold and silver shirt," she said, smiling. "And there's a shirt and skirt with a leopard print." Heidi Mattek can hardly wait.WHO'S NEXT? WHO CARES
Let others project the potential star matchups at the U.S. Open. Svetlana Kuznetsova is too busy to worry about the future. "I don't see the draw," she said. "I don't want to see it." The 2004 Open champion reached the third round Thursday with 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 win over Camille Pin. Next up for Kuznetsova is No. 31 Anabel Medina Garrigues, with Martina Hingis possible in the following round. Not that Kuznetsova is sweating it. "I don't care where I am," she said. "What's the point? What's the point to see where is Maria, where is Serena? What's the point if still I have three, four, five matches to go?"MIRZA IN GOOD SHAPE
Now that Sania Mirza is in better shape than ever, she is playing better than ever. Mirza, the first woman from India to be ranked in the top 50, reached the U.S. Open's third round by beating Laura Granville 6-3, 7-5 Thursday. Mirza is ranked a career-high 27th this week and is seeded 26th at Flushing Meadows. She had arthroscopic knee surgery in the spring and while unable to get on the tennis court, she ran on a treadmill for about an hour every day. "I worked hard on my fitness the last year," she said after compiling a 33-18 edge in winners against Granville. "This year when I'm here I feel like I can track down a lot more balls and I feel like I can stay with anyone in this heat." Her Grand Slam breakthrough came at the U.S. Open in 2005, when she reached the fourth round. But she hadn't been past the second round at any major tournament until this week. Now she'll play No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze of Russia for a berth in the fourth round. Chakvetadze beat Nicole Pratt of Australia 6-3, 6-4 Thursday. Back home in India, Mirza draws a lot of attention -- good and bad. She's popular among many because of her success on the court. But she also has been criticized for her short skirts and midriff-revealing T-shirts, and sections of orthodox Muslim clergy have said is leading astray young Muslims. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
