Mattek Shows Game

Tag : Knee Socks

Flesh, in a word.
The Minnesota native developed a flair for splashy fashion afterrelocating to South Florida as a young teen to focus on honing hergame. And that penchant for making a statement with her on-courtattire led to such memorable outfits as leopard-print shorts andtank top at the U.S. Open one year, and skimpy white gym shorts andtube top, paired with knee-high soccer socks, at Wimbledon another year.
But Mattek is taking a different tack for her third Wimbledonappearance, sporting an all-white dress so conventional it hasn'tcourted comment. And she's drawing notice, quite happily, for hergame, which has landed her in rare company.
With her 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 over Vera Dushevina of Russia on Wednesday,Mattek joined three former Wimbledon champions as the only Americanwomen to advance to the third round this year: four-time champion Venus Williams , 1999 champion Lindsay Davenport and two-time champion Serena Williams .
While Venus Williams and Davenport secured their third-roundpassage on Tuesday, Serena Williams joined them on Wednesday,cruising past Polish wild card Urszula Radwanska, 6-4, 6-4.
For Mattek, 23, it's a career-best Grand Slam showing. And she seesnothing quirky about it.
Mattek achieved her career-high ranking, 67th, earlier this month.And she won 20 of her 24 matches entering Wimbledon, including astrong run on a grass-court tuneup in Birmingham, where she reachedthe semifinals.
"I'm really enjoying it," said Mattek, who splits her time betweenher parents' home in Boca Raton, Fla., and her own in Phoenix.
She also has company this year at Wimbledon. It's the first timeher boyfriend, Justin Sands, 25, a former college football playerat Albany, has come to a tournament to watch her compete. She lovesthe bear hugs after the victories. And she got a great laugh afterhearing that a good friend had to hush Sands after he cheered whenMattek's opponent double-faulted during her first-round match.
"He was sorry," she said.
Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli , who hits two-fisted shots both from her left and right sides, isMattek's next opponent.