Not even that many hardcore tennis fans have heard of her, but American Bethanie Mattek Sands, who plays Maria Sharapova Wednesday night at The Racquet Club, is easily the most colorful player in the tournament.
And that’s another reason for fans to stick around after the headliner featuring Andy Roddick and James Blake. Talk about a clash of styles. The glamorous Sharapova is a tennis fashion plate and the poster-girl for the Cellular South Cup. Mattek Sands looks like she scrounged up her outfit at a rummage sale. But she can play, and her go-for-it style entertains the crowd in the manner of past local favorites Jimmy Connors and the Jensen brothers.
