PARIS (Ticker) - Martina Navratilova and Martina Hingis, the Swiss prodigy named after her, claimed first-round doubles victories at the French Open today, moving a step closer to an emotional meeting on the stage that brings them fame.

Hingis, partnered with France's Mary Pierce, cruised through their opening test as they brushed aside the Czech Republic's Eva Martincova and Yugoslavia's Sandra Nacuk, 6-2, 6-3.

But Navratilova and her South African partner, Mariaan de Swardt, showed they still have plenty of rust to shake off if they hope to keep a date with Hingis and Pierce in the semifinals.

Navratilova, 43-years old and returning to competitive tennis after 5 1/2 years in retirement, stolled onto Court 1 with the authority and purpose that had been the trademarks of her remarkable career.

But the skills that had laid waste to a generation of opponents had clearly dulled as she and de Swardt, who was also battling back from a nine-month injury layoff, struggled past Belgian Sabine Appelmans and Italy's Rita Grande, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.

"It was fantastic," smiled Navratilova, enjoying an extended visit with the press after her match. "People ask me, 'Why are you still playing?' I tell them, 'Because I can.'

"I chose to play here. I really wanted to have fun. We started losing, and it was like, 'Oh no, I don't want to lose.' I still managed to get the competitive juices flowing and have fun at the same time. It was a blast to be out there."

While Hingis downplayed the chance of standing across the net from her namesake, Navratilova, who had already claimed her first two Grand Slam titles before the current world No. 1 was born, was looking forward to the opportunity.

"It's fun to be on court at same time," Navratilova said. "It would be fun to play her at some level."

And for almost a quarter of a century, Navratilova played the game at a level seldom seen before, amassing 167 singles titles and 165 doubles titles.

Her lengthy resume also includes 86 Grand Slams titles of various description and it was the lure of one more, a record-tying 20th Wimbledon crown, that enticed her back to the courts.

"I wish the record was out of reach so I wouldn't have to talk about it," said Navratilova, as proficient on clay as she was on grass by collecting a pair of singles and seven doubles titles at Roland Garros. "That's not only why I'm playing. Obviously I'm not going to lose on purpose but I just want to have some fun, create some havoc and maybe win a few matches."

Navratilova's return to competition has not gone as well or as smoothly as she had planned.

In their first tournament together last week in Madrid, Navratilova and de Swardt crashed out in the quarterfinals to unseeded Spaniards Gala Leon Garcia and Maria Antonia Sanchez-Lorenzo.

Navratilova shook her head in disgust as she walked off the court, signaling the seriousness with which she was taking her comeback.

Hingis has seemed destined for a showdown with Navratilova ever since her mother named her and first put a racket in her hand when she was three-years-old. She did not want to speculate on facing off against a legend, dismissing the meeting as only a distant possibility.

"It's a little bit far ahead to think about that," said Hingis, who has 52 wins on her resume already and seems destined to put her mark on a new tennis generation. "I'm just glad we won today. Mary and I haven't played together in awhile. It's just good to get that first one down and out of the way.

"Playing Martina is still a long way away."