EASTBOURNE, England -- Martina Navratilova was back doing what she loved -- playing singles, serving and volleying on grass, and winning.

	Martina Navratilova won her first singles match in 7½ years Tuesday.

In her first tour singles match in eight years, Navratilova beat Tatiana Panova of Russia 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 Tuesday at Eastbourne, a Wimbledon warmup tournament she won 11 times when she was the best in the world.

The victory made her the oldest woman ever to win a WTA match. Navratilova, a nine-time Wimbledon champion, is 45. Panova is 25.

Navratilova displayed the serve-and-volley game that made her one of the greatest grasscourt players in history.

"It was fun," she said. "It's always more fun when you win. That's the whole point why I'm here, playing doubles and now playing singles. ... I didn't really expect anything. I expected to have a good time and to do the best I could and see what that's good for."

Navratilova said people shouldn't consider her victory over one of today's top players (Panova is ranked No. 22) as a sign of weakness in the women's game.

"That would really make me mad, because when Michael Jordan comes back he still makes an All-Star team and plays well because he's great," she said. "And I can still play this game and certainly I can still play it on grass. So don't look at the age, look at the ability."

Navratilova will next face 19-year-old Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia in the second round.

Navratilova won 167 singles and 166 doubles titles in her glittering career, including three Australian Opens, two French Opens and four U.S Opens.

The Czech-born U.S citizen came out of retirement in 2000 to play doubles and last month won the doubles title with Natasha Zvereva at the Madrid Open.

Tuesday marked her first singles match since losing to Gabriela Sabatini in the first round of the season-ending Championships in November 1994.

Navratilova took a late singles wild card into Eastbourne after losing a bet with her personal trainer, Giseille Tirado.

"She said that I was playing well enough to play singles, and that if Natasha Zvereva and I won Madrid then I had to play singles," Navratilova said. "We won, so here I am. But this is a one-off. That's the plan, definitely."

At Wimbledon, she is entered only in doubles, with Zvereva her partner.

Things didn't start well for Navratilova, who double faulted twice to lose serve in the opening game. But a nervous-looking Panova then proceeded to lose the next six games with a series of errors.

Panova settled down in the second set, breaking serve to lead 2-0 with a winning pass and exploiting Navratilova's net-rushing tactics. Navratilova made a number of simple volley errors, including an easy backhand into the net at set point.

But Navratilova rallied patiently from the baseline in the final set, working her way into the net to put away her volleys. She held a break point in the first and third games of the set before forcing Panova to put a two-handed backhand wide to earn a break for 3-2.

That breakthrough appeared to deflate Panova. Navratilova broke again for 5-2 and served out the match. She raised her arms in triumph when Panova slapped a backhand into the net to end the contest.

"There was no time to get nostalgic out there," Navratilova said. "I was there to play a match and I really didn't know how this girl played. All I knew was her backhand is better than her forehand. And that she runs a lot, which she does, very well."

Panova was disappointed and angry at her performance on what she considers her best surface.

"When I came on the court I had fun, but after that I didn't have any fun because she was playing great," she said. "She just went to the net all the time, so it was hard for me. But anyway it was a great day because I played against her. She's fun to play and of course she's a great player. She's a legend."

In other matches, unseeded Anna Kournikova lost 7-6 (4), 3-6, 1-6 to Rita Grande of Italy. Grande will now face American Meghann Shaughnessy, who beat Canadian qualifier Vanessa Webb 6-7 (2), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (4).

No. 7 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland lost to Anastasia Myskina of Russia, 6-4, 6-4.