Walk helps Devoy’s game

Press, 24 August 1988, Page 72

Walk helps Devoy’s game

PA Auckland Susan Devoy has had things other than squash on her mind recently and feels this lack of concentration on the game will help her in her quest for a fifth consecutive New Zealand Open title in Auckland this week. i The world champion begins her defence today at the Remuera club with a first round match against the national under 23 champion, Marie Pearson. But for the last few weeks, Devoy has been busy organising a charity walk from Cape Reinga to Bluff, starting on October 20, that will benefit muscular dystrophy.

“The walk has taken a lot of organising,” she

said. “But I think it may have helped me in some ways. It has been nice to have something different other than squash. I’ve had something else on my mind and that has stopped me worrying too much about the open.” Devoy faces a tough task in retaining her title. The field assembled is similar to that which she came through last year to successfully defend her world title in Auckland. Of those present only the Australian Vicki Cardwell is missing from the world top 10. “It’s a good draw, they don’t come much tougher,” said Devoy. And while she is seeded to meet the world No. 2, Lisa Opie (England), in

the final, Devoy is more concerned with getting through her half of the draw. “There are a lot of good players in my side of the field, but I’m feeling all right. I haven’t lost in New Zealand this year and I’ve had some quite hard matches against players like Liz (Irving) and Martine (Le Moignan).” The men’s battle promises to be just as intriguing with seven of the top 10 players making the Australian Rodney Martin’s job of defending the title a lot harder. The world No. 1, Jansher Khan (Pakistan), is the obvious favourite although his preparations for such a strong tourna-

ment have been less than ideal. He has timed his arrival late, not being due in Auckland until this morning. He has been given the last match of the first round this evening with an 8.45 p.m. start against one of the eight qualifiers from yesterday’s preliminary round. A feature of the early round matches will be

Khan’s second round clash with the former world champion, Geoff Hunt (Australia). New Zealand’s hopes in the men’s draw rest mainly with the former world champion, Ross Norman, the No. 3 seed who is due to clash with the Pakistani in Saturday’s semi-finals.