NEW YORK – The opening round at the U.S. Open featured many different fashion strategies from the top-ranked players: Justine Henin and Svetlana Kuznetsova went for strength with red, Venus Williams added a touch of femininity with a pleated hemline and Serena Williams was flirty in her babydoll dress with a pink bow around the bust.

Maria Sharapova, the biggest fashion star of them all, was supposed to make her first appearance Tuesday night in a dress inspired by the New York skyline.

Most of them were winners if you measure success by advancing in the tournament; there were a few more misses if you rank by style.

Serena herself became frustrated with the girlie bow. Once she ripped it off, though, she hit her stride – fashion and otherwise.

Meanwhile, sister Venus debuted a dress from her new budget-conscious clothing line EleVen for Steve & Barry’s. There might have been doubters that a dress and sneakers that each cost less than $20 would be able to perform at center court against much more expensive rivals, but Venus’ decisive win 6-2, 6-1 win over Kira Nagy should quiet any of those concerns.

Her light green polo-collar dress with white trim was the first item she rolled out. She has committed to wear other outfits based on her own designs – available at retail in November – throughout the U.S. Open.

Before they played their matches Monday night, the Williams sisters joined the likes of Aretha Franklin, Phylicia Rashad and Jackie Joyner-Kersee in a tribute to Althea Gibson, the first black tennis player to win a U.S National Championship title.

Franklin was asked at a news conference what she thought of the tennis stars’ style.

“Very daring. Very daring. But they’re young. Young people start new trends, yeah,” Franklin said. “I wish I was in the shape that Serena is. You know, the little body suit, all of that.”

Daniela Hantuchova, the No. 9 seed, didn’t fare very well showing off her model-like figure in her match against Julia Vakulenko. She became the first top-10 player to lose, but at least she looked good in a belly-baring skimpy black tank with white trim and low-rise ruffled black tennis skirt.

Vakulenko took the opposite track: a no-frills combination of a modest light blue sleeveless top and darker blue skirt.

Top-seeded Henin and No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova went for strength with no-nonsense red outfits that depicted athleticism but would never be pinup material. It’s worth noting, though, that Kuznetsova did latch on to one emerging fashion trend: players who layer on jewelry.

She wore a necklace with an oversized diamond S that would bounce around as she made her way around the court.

Martina Hingis had on a thick chain and silver earrings, adding a hint of sparkle to an otherwise all black-and-white outfit.