Title a confidence booster for Devoy

Press, 1 March 1989, Page 47

Title a confidence booster for Devoy

NZPA London Susan Devoy, seeking a record third world squash title in the Netherlands in ten days time, got the sort of confidence booster she needed when she defeated her old rival, Lisa Opie, to win the Irish Open championship in Dublin on Monday evening. In a fiercely contested final the New Zealander triumphed over the Englishwoman, ranked No. 2 in the world, 9-1, 1-9, 6-9, 9-7, 9-5.

Devoy said before the final that what she needed most to prepare her for her second world title defence was a hard match.

She certainly got that against Opie who probably played some of the best squash of her career.

It said much for Devoy’s

courage and determination that against her opponent’s inspired play she was able to come out on top in the end.

Devoy’s husband and manager, John Oakley, said afterwards that there were times when she was completely outplayed by Opie.

“Lisa seemed not to be able to do anything wrong,” he said.

“But Susan just gnawed away and finally got the better of her in the fifth game.”

Devoy’s win was a timely warning to her world title challengers that despite five months away from the squash court, she is still as formidable an opponent as ever.

"They were probably thinking that now was as good a time as any to topple Susan,”

Oakley said.

“Instead she re-established herself as world number one and now the others must be doubtful whether they can beat her.”

Oakley said that Devoy would now return to her training base near London to continue her preparations for the world championships starting in Warmond, near Amsterdam, on March 6.

"She will be certainly feeling a lot better about retaining her world title after this,” he said.

Donna Newton completed a good day for New Zealand by winning the plate final for first-round losers.

She easily beat England’s Melanie Warren-Hawkes 9-6, 9-5, 9-4 to raise New Zealand’s hopes of winning the team championships as well as the individual title in the Netherlands.