Martina Navratilova and doubles partner Svetlana Kuznetsova survived a match-point on Wednesday to reach the second round of the Sparkassen Cup as they bid to boost their chances of reaching the WTA Tour finals in November.
The 46-year-old adopted American and her teenage Russian partner trailed 5-2 in the final set against qualifiers Aniko Kapros of Greece and Germany's Lydia Steinbach before squeezing through 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
The top seeds were helped by the nerves of their opponents as Steinbach failed to serve out the match at 5-2, finishing on a double fault, Kapros served a double on match point at 5-4 and Steinbach delivered another to go match point down at 6-5.
Navratilova took advantage to secure the victory with a forehand approach return against a weak second delivery that forced Steinbech to hit a backhand drive into the net.
The former holder of a record 167 singles titles was never at her best, though, dropping serve at 2-1 down and 5-2 behind in the final set to put the favourites in deep trouble.
She was tenacious and a little steadier when the crunch moments arrived, however, and looked pleased with their escape.
TOP FOUR
Navratilova and Kuznetsova, who began the tournament ranked fourth in the world, have to finish in the top four to reach the WTA Tour's year-end championships, which Navratilova last graced nine years ago.
"I think we should get there now," she said. "I think we overtake [Lindsay] Davenport and [Lisa] Raymond now and I don't think Davenport will play much more this year because of her knee. So two pairs would have to play very well to overtake us.
Davenport, ranked number four in the world in singles, has been plagued by knee and foot injuries this year.
Navrativolva was not satisfied with the pairs' first-round performance, saying: "We didn't play well today. It was only the second time my partner had played indoors on the tour and sometimes I just take time to settle down. We will get better."
Navratilova nevertheless revelled in the atmosphere of Leipzig Freiheit and its 2012 Olympic bid.
"It's great to be in a free Germany," said the former Czech, who drove four hours from her former home in Prague in her mother's car to play in the city for the first time in 30 years.
"It's an amazing feeling. It's a feeling of freedom and relief and all the good stuff that comes with it," the naturalised American said.
Navratilova added that she plans to retire next year, not this, after trying to earn selection for the Olympic Games in Athens. She has never played in the Olympics.
