FILDERSTADT, West Germany -- Martina Navratilova, who turns 30 on Saturday, won the 1,000th singles match of her career Wednesday at the $175,000 Porsche Grand Prix.
Navratilova, the top seed at the tournament, needed only 51 minutes to earn an easy 6-3, 6-2 first-round win over Nathalie Tauziat of France.
'I'm extremely proud because this a further milestone,' said Navratilova, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas, after defecting from her native Czechoslovakia. 'It is very satisfying to have won for the 1,000th time. I hope it continues.'
Before a crowd of 2,800 spectators, Navratilova was given a placard, made of roses and chrysanthemums that formed tennis rackets, inscribed with the message: '1,000 -- Martina Navratilova.'
Chris Evert Lloyd is the only other female tennis player to win 1,000 singles matches in the Open era.
Navratilova won her first singles match in 1973 when she defeated another French woman, Francoise Guedy, 6-1, 6-1. Since then she has won $11 million.
In other first-round matches, Hana Mandlikova of Czechoslovakia defeated Rosalyn Fairbank of South Africa, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2; Catarina Lindqvist of Sweden beat Lilian Drescher of Switzerland 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina defeated Grace Kim 6-1, 6-2.
In second-round action, Robin White beat Tine Scheuer-Larsen of Denmark 6-4, 6-3.
Navratilova is enjoying another superb year, winning Wimbledon for the seventh time and the U.S. Open for the third time. Her only real blemish came when she lost to Chris Evert Lloyd in the final of the French Open.
The milestone victory was Navratilova's 72nd of the year against three losses, and since 1981 she has compiled a singles record of 488-25. From 1982-84, she lost only six times in 260 matches.
Navratilova has won 121 singles titles, second to Evert Lloyd's 148.
Along with two French and three Australian crowns, Navratilova has captured 15 Grand Slam singles championships, placing her fourth on the all-time women's list. Overall, including doubles, she has captured 42 Grand Slam titles, second only to Margaret Smith Court's 66.
Her earnings for the year thus far are $1.3 million, a half-million dollars more than Evert Lloyd, the runnerup among the women. In 1984, Navratilova earned $2.2 million, more than any athlete in the world except for three boxers.
Navratilova has been player of the year five times since 1978, including the last three years, and is virtually certain to secure that position again for 1986.
In addition to her performance in singles, Navratilova also excels in doubles and along with partner Pam Shriver compiled a record streak of 109 victories from April 24, 1983 to July 6, 1985.
Navratilova's only other losses this year came to Kathy Jordan in the semifinals of the Virginia Slims of Calififornia and to Steffi Graf in the final of the German Open.
More memorable for Navratilova than any of her victories this year was a return to Prague for the first time since her defection from Czechoslovakia 11 years ago. Navratilova was greeted with tremendous warmth on her return in July, and she responded by helping the United States win the Federation Cup.
