Navratilova Wins 100th Singles Title

Martina Navratilova won her 100th career singles title Monday night by defeating Bulgaria’s Manuela Maleeva, 6-3, 6-2, in the $150,000 Virginia Slims of Washington tennis tournament.

Navratilova, 28, joined Chris Evert Lloyd and Jimmy Connors as the only professionals to win 100 titles.

Lloyd, who has won 132 championships, won her 100th in 1980 at the age of 25. Connors, who has 105 titles, was a month shy of his 31st birthday when he won his 100th at the U.S. Open in 1983.

For Navratilova, who won a record $2.2 million in prize money in 1984, the victory was worth $28,000. Maleeva received $14,000.

The 17-year-old Maleeva, ranked No. 6 in the world and seeded fourth here, used the two-hand backhand from the baseline to break Navratilova in the first game to take a quick 1-0 lead in the opening set.

Navratilova, moving to the net, broke back and held her own serve to go on top 2-1.

Both players held serve through the seventh game as Navratilova clung to a 4-3 lead.

In the eighth game, Navratilova took advantage of Maleeva’s second serves to register her second service break and open a 5-3 lead.

Navratilova, who was good on 62% of her first serves and recorded three aces in the set, held service to win the first set.

Navratilova took a 3-2 lead in the second set after breaking Maleeva in the fifth game on an unforced error and a net volley.