Navratilova and Serena join forces

Serena Williams, playing in her first match since beating her sister Venus in the US Open, teamed up with Martina Navratilova yesterday for a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Conchita Martinez and Nicole Pratt in the first round doubles at the Princess Cup in Tokyo.

The world No 1, who won her third straight Grand Slam title in New York on 7 September, struggled with her serve but relied on solid groundstrokes and the net play of her 45-year-old partner, who more than held her own, to pull through.

In Rome, Marcelo Rios has paid a fine for attacking a taxi driver and two paramilitary Carabinieri hours after the Chilean was knocked out of the Italian Open last year.

Police said that the 26-year-old Rios, accompanied by his trainer and an ATP official, had been drinking at the time of the incident, which occurred near St Peter's Square.