Judy Devlin

Judy Devlin (later Hashman, 22 October 1935 – 6 May 2024) was an English and American badminton player who won more major international titles than any other player of her era.

Devlin began playing badminton with her Irish-born father Frank Devlin when she was seven in the Baltimore, Maryland region of the U.S.A. where her family had settled. Under her father's tutelage she developed a badminton game notable for its power, accuracy, and consistency. After dominating U.S. junior competition she won her first (adult) U.S. championship event, women's doubles, with her older sister Susan Devlin in 1953. This marked the beginning of the run of success listed below. She married Dick Hashman in 1960, living in England thereafter and eventually becoming a British citizen 10 years later.

Career Competing before the establishment of an official world championships for individual players and before badminton's entry into the Olympic Games, Devlin won 86 national and international titles. Among these are 31 titles in the USA, 8 titles in Germany, 7 titles in Canada, 4 titles in the Netherlands, 4 titles in Sweden, 3 titles in Ireland, 3 titles in Jamaica, 2 titles in Scotland, and a combined 19 titles in All England Open and English National competition. She played on U.S. Uber Cup teams that won three successive world championships (1957, 1960, 1963). In 1972 she won 2 titles (team and women's doubles) at the European Badminton Championships. She retired in 1973.

From 1954 to 1967 Devlin dominated the women's singles event at the U.S. Open, winning 12 titles in 14 years, including 8 consecutive championships from 1956 to 1963.

Judy Devlin is the most successful female player ever in the All England Badminton Championships, with 17 titles, 10 of them in women's singles and 7 in women's doubles.

Devlin appeared as a castaway on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 21 March 1970, and was inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame in 1997, together with her father. She was also inducted into the U. S. Badminton Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

Death Devlin died from cancer in Oxford on 6 May 2024, at the age of 88.

Achievements European Championships Women's doubles Year Venue Partner Opponent Score Result 1972 Karlskrona Idrottshall, Karlskrona, Sweden Gillian Gilks Margaret Beck Julie Rickard 15–11, 15–7 Gold Gold

International tournaments (78 titles, 14 runners-up) Women's singles YearTournamentOpponentScoreResult 1954 All England Open Iris Cooley 11–7, 11–5 Winner 1954 U.S. Open Margaret Varner Bloss 8–11, 11–6, 11–6 Winner 1955 All England Open Margaret Varner Bloss 12–9, 5–11, 1–11 Runner-up 1955 U.S. Open Margaret Varner Bloss 11–6, 9–12, 9–12 Runner-up 1956 All England Open Margaret Varner Bloss 8–11, 5–11 Runner-up 1956 U.S. Open Margaret Varner Bloss 12–10, 11–6 Winner 1957 All England Open Margaret Varner Bloss 11–2, 11–7 Winner 1957 Canada Open Lois Alston 11–2, 11–3 Winner 1957 U.S. Open Margaret Varner Bloss 11–2, 11–0 Winner 1957 Jamaica Open Susan Devlin 11–4, 11–1 Winner 1958 All England Open Margaret Varner Bloss 11–7, 12–10 Winner 1958 U.S. Open Dorothy O'Neil 11–2, 11–2 Winner 1959 All England Open Heather Ward 7–11, 11–3, 4–11 Runner-up 1959 Canada Open Susan Devlin 11–1, 12–10 Winner 1959 U.S. Open Dorothy O'Neil 11–0, 11–1 Winner 1960 All England Open Margaret Varner Bloss 11–1, 11–9 Winner 1960 U.S. Open Margaret Varner Bloss 6–11, 11–7, 11–7 Winner 1961 German Open Sonia Cox 11–1, 11–3 Winner 1961 All England Open Ursula Smith 11–2, 11–6 Winner 1961 Scottish Open Wilma Tyre 11–2, 11–0 Winner 1961 U.S. Open H. McGregor Stewart 11–2, 11–3 Winner 1962 German Open Tonny Holst-Christensen 11–2, 11–3 Winner 1962 All England Open Ursula Smith 11–4, 11–0 Winner 1962 U.S. Open H. McGregor Stewart 11–9, 11–2 Winner 1963 German Open Ulla Rasmussen 12–10, 12–9 Winner 1963 All England Open Angela Bairstow 11–5, 11–9 Winner 1963 U.S. Open Ursula Smith 11–6, 11–3 Winner 1964 Swedish Open Ulla Rasmussen 12–10, 11–3 Winner 1964 Dutch Open Angela Bairstow 11–2, 11–2 Winner 1964 German Open Ulla Rasmussen 11–2, 11–3 Winner 1964 All England Open Ursula Smith 11–0, 11–3 Winner 1964 Irish Open Mary O'Sullivan 11–5, 11–1 Winner 1965 U.S. Open Dorothy O'Neil 11–3, 11–0 Winner 1966 Swedish Open Eva Twedberg 11–0, 11–0 Winner 1966 All England Open Imre Rietveld 11–6, 11–7 Winner 1966 Canada Open Ulla Strand 11–7, 11–7 Winner 1966 U.S. Open Sharon Whittaker 11–6, 11–0 Winner 1967 All England Open Noriko Takagi 5–11, 11–8, 12–10 Winner 1967 U.S. Open Sharon Whittaker 11–3, 11–5 Winner

Women's doubles YearTournamentPartnerOpponentScoreResult 1954 All England Open Susan Devlin Iris Rogers June White 15–7, 12–15, 15–8 Winner 1954 U.S. Open Susan Devlin Ethel Marshall Bea Massman 10–15, 15–10, 15–13 Winner 1955 All England Open Susan Devlin Iris Rogers June White 15–18, 15–10, 9–15 Runner-up 1955 U.S. Open Susan Devlin Janet Wright Thelma Welcome 15–10, 15–9 Winner 1956 All England Open Susan Devlin Iris Rogers June White 17–18, 15–12, 15–12 Winner 1956 U.S. Open Susan Devlin Ethel Marshall Bea Massman 15–10, 7–15, 9–15 Runner-up 1957 Canada Open Susan Devlin Ethel Marshall Bea Massman 15–5, 10–15, 15–3 Winner 1957 U.S. Open Susan Devlin Dorothy O'Neil Margaret Varner Bloss 7–15, 15–7, 15–5 Winner 1957 Jamaica Open Murray White Susan Devlin Hope Valentine 15–4, 15–7 Winner 1958 U.S. Open Susan Devlin Ethel Marshall Bea Massman 15–10, 15–7 Winner 1959 All England Open Susan Devlin Iris Rogers June White 15–11, 10–15, 11–15 Runner-up 1959 Canada Open Susan Devlin Joan Hennessy Marjory Shedd 15–3, 15–1 Winner 1959 U.S. Open Susan Devlin Ethel Marshall Bea Massman 15–8, 15–8 Winner 1960 All England Open Susan Devlin Inge Birgit Hansen Kirsten Thorndahl 15–13, 15–6 Winner 1960 U.S. Open Sue Peard Dorothy O'Neil Margaret Varner Bloss 15–13, 15–4 Winner 1961 German Open Sonia Cox Irmgard Latz Hannelore Schmidt 15–5, 15–6 Winner 1961 All England Open Sue Peard Catherine Dunglison Wilma Tyre 15–5, 15–4 Winner 1961 Scottish Open Sue Peard Yvonne Kelly Mary O'Sullivan 15–9, 15–3 Winner 1961 U.S. Open Sue Peard Lois Alston Helen Tibbetts 15–11, 15–3 Winner 1962 German Open Tonny Holst-Christensen Karin Jørgensen Ulla Rasmussen 15–12, 15–9 Winner 1962 All England Open Tonny Holst-Christensen Karin Jørgensen Ulla Rasmussen 15–5, 15–3 Winner 1962 U.S. Open Patricia Stephens Ethel Marshall Bea Massman 15–10, 15–2 Winner 1963 German Open Sue Peard Karin Jørgensen Ulla Rasmussen 8–15, 10–15 Runner-up 1963 All England Open Sue Peard Karin Jørgensen Ulla Rasmussen 15–6, 15–9 Winner 1963 U.S. Open Sue Peard Margaret Barrand Ursula Smith 15–6, 15–7 Winner 1964 Swedish Open Mary O'Sullivan Karin Jørgensen Ulla Rasmussen 15–7, 15–3 Winner 1964 Dutch Open Sue Peard Angela Bairstow Jenny Pritchard 15–8, 15–11 Winner 1964 All England Open Sue Peard Karin Jørgensen Ulla Rasmussen 11–15, 15–6, 10–15 Runner-up 1964 Irish Open Sue Peard Lena McAleese Mary O'Sullivan 15–8, 15–7 Winner 1965 U.S. Open Sue Peard Margaret Barrand Jenny Pritchard 7–15, 13–15, 11–15 Runner-up 1966 Swedish Open Eva Twedberg Karin Jørgensen Ulla Strand 12–15, 15–10, 15–8 Winner 1966 German Open Sue Peard Karin Jørgensen Ulla Strand 15–7, 15–3 Winner 1966 All England Open Sue Peard Karin Jørgensen Ulla Strand 15–5, 14–17, 15–12 Winner 1966 Canada Open Sue Peard Tyna Barinaga Caroline Jensen 15–8, 14–17, 15–12 Winner 1966 U.S. Open Sue Peard Ursula Smith Ulla Strand 15–5, 15–5 Winner 1967 All England Open Janet Brennan Imre Rietveld Ulla Strand 15–11, 8–15, 4–15 Runner-up 1967 U.S. Open Rosine Jones Tyna Barinaga Caroline Jensen 8–15, 15–11, 15–8 Winner 1971 Dutch Open Gillian Gilks Karin Jørgensen Ulla Strand 15–6, 15–2 Winner 1971 All England Open Gillian Gilks Hiroe Yuki Noriko Takagi 10–15, 13–18 Runner-up 1972 Dutch Open Gillian Gilks Irmgard Gerlatzka Marieluise Wackerow 18–16, 15–5 Winner

Mixed doubles YearTournamentPartnerOpponentScoreResult 1956 U.S. Open Finn Kobberø Bob Williams Ethel Marshall 15–6, 15–11 Winner 1957 U.S. Open Finn Kobberø Bob Williams Ethel Marshall 15–0, 15–9 Winner 1957 Jamaica Open Allan Feres W. H. Murray White Susan Devlin 15–9, 15–10 Winner 1958 U.S. Open Finn Kobberø Bob Williams Ethel Marshall 15–5, 17–14 Winner 1959 Canada Open Don P. Davis Bill Purcell Marjory Shedd 11–15, 15–3, 15–10 Winner 1959 U.S. Open Michael Roche Joe Alston Lois Alston 15–9, 10–15, 17–15 Winner 1960 U.S. Open Michael Roche Finn Kobberø Margaret Varner Bloss 7–15, 2–15 Runner-up 1961 German Open Yeoh Kean Hua Oon Chong Teik Sonia Cox 15–11, 15–12 Winner 1961 U.S. Open Wynn Rogers Joe Alston Lois Alston 18–13, 15–2 Winner 1962 U.S. Open Wynn Rogers Joe Alston Helen Tibbetts 15–4, 15–7 Winner 1964 German Open Oon Chong Teik Finn Kobberø Anne Flindt 14–17, 10–15 Runner-up 1964 Irish Open Robert McCoig Mac Henderson Catherine Dunglison 15–9, 15–8 Winner 1967 U.S. Open Jim Sydie Erland Kops Mimi Nilsson 18–13, 15–6 Winner