Painting Flushing Meadows Red!

While Sharapova made an unglorious exit from the US Open over the weekend, she didn't fail to surprise with her choice of dress. Known to work closely with the Nike team, her lilac dress was perfect for her long legs and her tall and lean frame. However, I think the neon green bands across her dress are best left to cyclists, not tennis stars.

Despite the loss to a player ranked 30 spots below her, Sharapova's creative and entrepreneurial streak continues. The Russian player is now designing accessories for Cole Haan, starting with an over-the-knee boot.

Her opponent was Melanie Oudin, who wore the cutest sneakers- a pleasant mix of dark pink and yellow, with three blue stripes, perfect for her young years (this feisty player is only 17!).

Oudin used her sponsor Adidas's customisation site for the bespoke shoes. Fellow American Sam Querrey did the same with his shoes- a pair of red with a dash of dark blue.

Speaking of red, this fiery colour is ruling the roost seems to be ruling the roost at this hard court event. World No. 1 Roger Federer is wearing an eye-catching yet elegant red, adding an element of fun to his elegant backhand. Jelena Jankovic, who made an early exit, wore a red dress with ruffles at the waist and on the skirt- oh so feminine, but lacking a good fit. And then there's Kim Clijsters with her red FILA tee and co-ordinated skirt, and a host of East European players like Kateryna Bondarenko and drama queen Vera Zvonareva.

The bright colours of the summer don't end with the red. There's the bright pink (donned by the Williams sistas, Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova), and the very summery yellow of Rafael Nadal's t-shirt. While the t-shirt gives women (and men) a cheeky view of his toned biceps, the blue head and wrist bands are in sync with new fashion mantra- Make contrasts work!

While some players stick to the safe choices (like blue), I love the experimentation with colours at the last Grand Slam of the year. But autumn's round the corner, and the bright colours of the season will soon fade away... Enjoy them while they last!