She came to the U.S. Open dressed in a revealing, metallic gold Wonder Woman outfit and left wearing leopard-print shorts so skimpy the tournament referee needed to rule whether they were OK.

Is there anything Bethanie Mattek wouldn't sport on court?

“I had this bustier for New York. French nanny kind of look," she said.

“I thought I can't do this yet. I wasn't feeling it. It didn't fit right," she said. “Maybe next year."

Mattek lost to Shahar Peer in the second round last week and lost with Sania Mirza to Chan Yung-jan and Chuang Chia-jung 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the doubles quarterfinals Tuesday.

Known for her outlandish outfits -- she was fined here in 2005 for wearing an argyle cowboy hat -- Mattek made an eye-popping exit: leopard headband, low-cut leopard top and those leopard shorts.

She definitely caught the eye of tournament referee Brian Earley. He saw her on a television monitor during warmups and asked one of his supervisors to check the ensemble.

“Taste aside, it's within the attire standards," he said. “If it was all in one color, say black or red or green, would you notice?''

“Am I thrilled? Well ..." he said, laughing.

The Grand Slam rulebook says: “Sweatshirts, gym shorts, dress shirts, T-shirts or any other inappropriate attire shall not be worn during a match.''

Mattek's ensemble made Mirza chuckle, even before she put it on.

“She said, 'I have leopard skin today, animal print,'" Mirza said. “I said cool!"

Mirza is from India and has been criticized at home for wearing short skirts and midriff-baring T-shirts. Some sections of orthodox Muslim clergy claim her example is a bad influence on young Muslims.

“I think people get bored of talking about forehands and backhands and serves," Mirza said. `”I don't know if it's good or bad, but it's making tennis popular."

The 22-year-old Mattek is ranked 123rd and fully realizes what she wears is what makes her special.

“There's a method to my madness. It shows personality. Fashion is such a focus of everything," she said. “Even if they hate it, they'll come see me play again."

About 1,000 fans were inside Louis Armstrong Stadium for the doubles, with most people next door at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the men's singles.

Sitting on a bench nearby, Carol Vescio of Rome, N.Y., watched Mattek's match on a Jumbotron and liked what she saw.

“She's young, it's exciting. More power to her," Vescio said. “She's an individual."

Mirza, Chan and Chuang all wore reddish tops, white skirts and white visors. The Taiwanese team giggled when asked about Mattek's outfit, then came up with right-down-the-middle answer.

“We look at the tennis and not what they are wearing," Chan said.