It's lime time in Melbourne

MELBOURNE, Jan 15 (Reuters) Day-glow lime is this season's colour -- according to the tennis fashionistas at the Australian Open anyway.

One by one, male or female, an array of loud outfits have been unveiled by the players at this year's tournament, leading the purists to reach for their sunglasses.

First Shenay Perry chose to blind women's champion Amelie Mauresmo with her choice of wardrobe for Monday's first-round match. The American flew around court sporting a white shirt with green trimmings over her short lime skirt.

Mauresmo could have been forgiven if she blamed her lapse in concentration in the second set -- when she lost three successive games from 5-1 up -- on the floating fluorescent vision before her.

While the world number three gathered her wits in the nick of time to secure a 6-3 6-4 win, the same cannot be said of Serena Williams's opponent Mara Santangelo.

Serena's one-piece dress glowed brightly in the floodlit Rod Laver Arena and Santangelo could only muster three games under the glare.

The 2003 and 2005 champion was quick to defend her choice of costume.

''A lot of people now are wearing a similar colour to this,'' Serena said following the 6-2 6-1 win.

''I wouldn't worry if someone wore that colour against me. It wouldn't affect me, and that's the attitude I take.'' Not to be outdone, 2005 men's champion Marat Safin followed Serena on court wearing a shirt virtually the same colour.

Martina Hingis's fiance Radek Stepanek's fashion sense also bordered on the bizarre as he is playing his matches in attire that would not look out of place on a battle front.

''The clothes are from the company I'm using, because I'm doing my own design on the shirts,'' he said referring to his army-style uniform.

''While I was six months out from the tour, they have been thinking of what I should wear this year, and they said, 'You are coming back to the war, so you have to wear the camouflage'.'' Reuters PM DB1841