Tennis: Navratilova overcomes stiff opposition

Martina Navratilova reached the final of the Paris Women's Open yesterday with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Georgia's Leila Meskhi, which was more difficult than the scoreline suggests. She complained of a stiff back at the beginning of the match, and made a number of mini-recoveries. 'I've been coming back from love-40 down and winning games. I don't often do that,' the 37-year-old winner of more than 160 singles titles said. In today's final she plays the Frenchwoman Julie Halard, who defeated Bulgaria's Katerina Maleeva 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.

(Photograph omitted)