| Susan Devoy | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Susan Elizabeth Anne Devoy |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Residence | New Zealand |
| Born | 4 January 1964 Rotorua, New Zealand |
| Retired | 1992 |
| Plays | Right handed |
| Women's singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (April 1984) |
| Last updated on: 9 May 2011. | |
Dame Susan Elizabeth Anne Devoy, DNZM, CBE (born 4 January 1964, Rotorua, New Zealand)[1] is a New Zealand squash player who dominated the sport in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She won the World Open on four occasions.[2]
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Born in Rotorua, New Zealand, Susan Devoy attended MacKillop College.[3] Her family was very involved in the squash community and she started playing when she was very young.[4] Susan turned professional at the age of 17.[5] Her first World Open title came in 1985,[6] with a subsequent win in 1987. Further World Open titles came in 1990 and 1992.[7] For most of her career, the World Open was held biannually, a fact that stopped Devoy potentially doubling her tally. She did, however, win the coveted British Open eight times, a record only beaten by Heather McKay in the 1960s/70s and by Janet Morgan in the 1950s.
In 1992, the year of her unexpected retirement, she was the Australian, British, French, Hong Kong, Irish, New Zealand, Scottish, Swedish and World squash champion.[8]
In 1986, Devoy was awarded the MBE, which was followed by a CBE in 1993. She is also noted for her charity work, being the New Zealand Patron on the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In 1988 she walked the entire length of New Zealand, over seven weeks, and raised $500,000 for that charity.[9] Other achievements include being named New Zealand Sports Person and Sports Woman in 1985.[10]
In 1998, she became a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, the youngest New Zealander since Sir Edmund Hillary to receive a knighthood.[7] In between her charity work she is also a professional speaker in motivation and inspiration. In 2007, she appeared on Like Minds, Like Mine TV commercials in New Zealand to counter the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness.[11]
| Outcome | Year | Location | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1985 | Dublin, Ireland | Lisa Opie | 9–4, 9–5, 10–8 |
| Winner | 1987 | Auckland, New Zealand | Lisa Opie | 9–3, 10–8, 9–2 |
| Runner-up | 1989 | Warmond, Netherlands | Martine Le Moignan | 4–9, 9–4, 10–8, 10–8 |
| Winner | 1990 | Sydney, Australia | Martine Le Moignan | 9–4, 9–4, 9–4 |
| Winner | 1992 | Vancouver, Canada | Michelle Martin | 9–4, 9–6, 9–4 |
After Susan stopped competing in squash competitions, she became the Chief Executive of Sport Bay of Plenty.[8]
Devoy is married to squash player John Oakley; they have four sons.[12] She married John Oakley, her manager, on December 12, 1986 in Rotorua's St Michael's Church.[7]
Devoy writes a regular column in the Bay of Plenty Times. She is a supporter of a New Zealand republic.[13]
In April 2009 an accusation was made that the testimonial Devoy wrote for Tony Veitch in support of the return of his passport was edited and used in his support at his sentencing for injuring with reckless disregard in relation to an assault on his former partner Kristin Dunne-Powell in 2006.[14]
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