Navratilova Wins in Australia

Martina Navratilova shook off last-minute jitters Tuesday to win her first tennis match in Australia in 12 years.

Navratilova teamed with 17-year-old Svetlana Kuznetsova to defeat Evegenia Koulikovskaya of Russia and Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, in a first-round doubles match in the Australian women’s hardcourt championships at Gold Coast.

Navratilova, 46, admitted to being nervous.

“I had the worst returning game of my career that first game,” said Navratilova, who has 56 Grand Slam titles. “A shaky start, but it turned out OK.”

Navratilova is in the final year of a three-year comeback campaign and will also team with Kuznetsova in the Australian Open next month. She has not lost a doubles match in Australia in 21 years, including the six years she spent in retirement from 1994.

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Fourth-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov lost to Fernando Vicente of Spain, 6-2, 7-5, in the first round of the Qatar Open at Doha.

Kafelnikov, a two-time Grand Slam tournament champion who had said he would retire if Russia won the Davis Cup, was playing in his first tournament since Russia beat France, 3-2, to win its first Davis Cup.

Top-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland beat Russian qualifier Andrei Stoliarov, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4.

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Alicia Molik defeated Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4, 6-2, and Lleyton Hewitt beat Dominik Hrbaty, 6-2, 6-0, as Australia swept Slovakia, 3-0, in the Hopman Cup at Perth, Australia.

It was the second straight loss in the tournament for the eighth-ranked Hantuchova, and the first win over a top 10 player by Molik, ranked 94th.

Molik, who beat No. 17 Silvia Farina Elia of Italy on Sunday, and Hewitt finished the day with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win in mixed doubles.

It was the only match played Tuesday. The United States plays Spain and the Czech Republic plays Italy today.

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Mark Philippoussis of Australia made a successful return to the ATP Tour, defeating Michael Kohlman of Germany, 7-6 (3), 6-3, to reach the second round of the Tata Open at Madras, India. Philippoussis hadn’t played since injuring his left knee at the U.S. Open.... Kristof Vliegen of Belgium, a 20-year-old qualifier who turned pro in 2001 and is ranked 165th, upset third-seeded Thomas Enqvist of Sweden, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, in the first round of the AAPT Championships at Adelaide, Australia.

Baseball

The Texas Rangers signed pitcher Aaron Fultz, a free agent who had been with the San Francisco Giants, to a one-year contract. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

The 29-year-old Fultz, a left-hander, was 2-2 with a 4.79 earned-run average in 43 relief appearances last season.

Miscellany

Len Stevens has resigned as an assistant basketball coach at UC Irvine for personal reasons. Stevens was in his sixth season with the Anteaters.