TENNIS ROUNDUP : Navratilova Wins to Begin Last Year

Martina Navratilova began her last year of singles competition with a victory Tuesday, beating Japan’s Mana Endo, 6-1, 6-3, in 59 minutes in the first round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open tournament at Tokyo.

Navratilova is the defending champion and said afterward that she wanted one more Grand Slam tournament victory before retiring. She has 18.

“I don’t care which one,” said Navratilova, who skipped the Australian Open but is looking ahead to Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. “My best chance will be at Wimbledon.”

The 37-year-old former world No. 1 is now ranked No. 3.

She said she skipped the Australian Open because it started too early in the season, not giving her enough time to train.

With her customary net-charging style, Navratilova broke service in the first game against Endo. She broke again in the third and seventh games.

Other Pan Pacific winners Tuesday included Australian Open champion Steffi Graf and Gabriela Sabatini.

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Boris Becker returned to the tennis circuit after a two-month layoff and showed no rustiness, beating Britain’s Jeremy Bates, 6-2, 6-4, in the first round of the $538,000 Marseille Open in France.

Becker had been inactive since the beginning of December to devote time to the birth of his son, Noah Gabriel, who was born Jan. 18 in Munich, Germany.