{{Short description|Irish squash player (born 1977)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Use British English|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox squash player | name = Madeline Perry | image = Madeline Perry 2.jpg | caption = Perry during the 2009 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open | nationality = British (Northern Irish) | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1977|2|11}} | birth_place = Banbridge, Northern Ireland | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = | turnedpro = 1998 | retired = 2015 | plays = Right Handed | coach = Marcus Berrett | racquet = Dunlop | website = | event = Women's singles | years_active = 1997-2015 | highest_ranking = No. 3 | date_of_highest_ranking = April 2011 | WorldOpenresult = | titles = 9 | finals = 23 | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Women's squash}} {{MedalCountry | {{IRL}} }} {{MedalCompetition | World Championships }} {{MedalBronze | 2008 Manchester | singles }} {{MedalCompetition | European Team Championships}} {{MedalBronze | 2005 Amsterdam | Team}} {{MedalBronze | 2011 Espoo | Team}} {{MedalSilver | 2012 Nuremberg | Team}} {{MedalSilver | 2013 Amsterdam | Team}} {{MedalBronze | 2015 Herning | Team}} {{MedalCompetition|Irish Championships}} {{MedalGold|1997–99, 2001–04, 2006–11, 2013, 2015|singles}} }}
'''Madeline Perry''' (born 11 February 1977) is a former professional squash player from Northern Ireland, who competed at five Commonwealth Games from 1998 to 2014 and is a record 15 times champion of Ireland.
== Biography == Perry was born and raised in Northern Ireland before later living in Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.irishstar.com/sport/other-sports/irish-squash-professional-madeline-perr-32489032 |title= Irish Squash Professional Madeline Perry | author=<!--Not stated--> |date= April 1, 2024 |website= Irish Star |publisher= |access-date= April 28, 2025|quote=}}</ref>
Perry won the first of her record 15 Irish national titles in 1997.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005119/19971222/329/0040 |title=Squash |work=Belfast News-Letter |date=22 December 1997 |p=40 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=8 May 2026}}</ref> She represented the 1998 Northern Irish team<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005119/19980616/305/0045 |title=Hot-shot Bobby misses party |work=Belfast News-Letter |date=16 June 1998 |p=45 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=9 May 2026}}</ref> at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she competed in the singles and mixed doubles events.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021191346/https://thecgf.com/results/games/3044/48/all |title=Northern Ireland Kuala Lumpur 1998 |website=Commonwealth Games Federation |access-date=9 May 2026}}</ref>
Perry attended a second Commonwealth Games when selected for the 2002 Northern Irish team<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/2026969.stm |title=NI Commonwealth squad revealed |website=BBC Sport|date=5 June 2002 |access-date=9 May 2026}}</ref> at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005119/20020606/448/0045 |title=Manchester on their mind |work=Belfast News-Letter |date=6 June 2002 |page=45 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=9 May 2026}}</ref> where she competed in squash tournament.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018072732/https://thecgf.com/results/games/3028/48/all |title=Northern Ireland Manchester 2002 |website=Commonwealth Games Federation |access-date=9 May 2026}}</ref> Four years later, a third games appearance ensued as she represented the 2006 Northern Irish team<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/commonwealth_games/4686024.stm |title=N Ireland Commonwealth Games team |website=BBC Sport |date=7 February 2006 |access-date=9 May 2026}}</ref> at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004162/20051112/232/0030 |title=Big Games hunters |work=Ireland's Saturday Night |date=2 November 2005 |page=30 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=9 May 2026}}</ref> where she once again competed in singles and mixed doubles events.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thecgf.com/results/games/3026/48/all |title=Northern Ireland Melbourne 2006 |website=Commonwealth Games Federation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018070144/https://thecgf.com/results/games/3026/48/all |access-date=9 May 2026 |archive-date=18 October 2021 }}</ref>
In November 2006 at the World Open in Belfast, she justified her seeding of eighth by reaching the quarter-finals. She then won the Irish Open 2007 title in Dublin. One of her career highlights is defeating Nicol David in the quarter-finals of the Forexx Dutch Open where she took the world number one to 9–7 in the fourth set before beating David with a 6-11, 12-14, 15-13, 11-5, 11-9 scoreline.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2009-09-14 |title=Perry loses British Open decider |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/squash/8255873.stm |access-date=2024-09-01 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
A serious head injury sustained when Madeline was mugged in Milan, Italy, put a halt to the rest of the season.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/squash/7723246.stm |title=Marvel Madeline |last=Haughey | first=John |publisher=BBC Sport |language=en-gb |date=15 November 2008 |access-date=29 May 2021}}</ref> The inactivity caused a dip in her ranking that took her out of the top ten after nearly two years. In her first event back in 2008, in the Buler Challenge in Hong Kong, she reached the final. A year later, Perry described her quarter-final victory over then-ranked No. 1 Nicol David in the five-set, 76-minute quarter-final of the 2009 British Open as "the best victory of my career".<ref>{{cite interview |last=Perry |first=Madeline |subject-link=Madeline Perry |interviewer=Helen McConnell |title=Madeline Perry |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOV0JUhOCio |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/TOV0JUhOCio |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|publisher=Sport Northern Ireland |location=Belfast Boat Club |date=24 November 2009 |accessdate=29 May 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> (Perry lost the final to Rachael Grinham.)<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/squash/8255873.stm |title= Perry loses British Open decider |publisher=BBC Sport |language=en-gb |date=14 September 2009 |access-date=29 May 2021}}</ref> She then made it to the semis of the Seoul Open, followed by the semi-final berth at the CIMB Singapore Masters from an unseeded position. Perry went a fourth Commonwealth Games in 2010 in Delhi, India.
By April 2011, Perry had reached a career-high world ranking of No. 3.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.horizonsoftware.net/entry/wispa/ranking.php?player=T00411|title=WISPA Player Profile}}</ref><ref>[https://www.squashinfo.com/player-311 Player Profile at SquashInfo]</ref>
In April 2014 she made squash history as the oldest female player to retain a top 10 position, when she was ranked No. 9 in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/squash/27242799 |title=Madeline Perry makes history as oldest to retain top 10 place |publisher=BBC Sport |language=en-gb |date=1 May 2014 |access-date=29 May 2021}}</ref> Shortly afterwards, Perry attended her fifth Commonwealth Games, being selected for the Northern Ireland team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 3 August. One year later she won her 15th and last national title.
== Major World Series final appearances ==
'''British Open: 1 finals (0 title, 1 runner-up)'''
{| class="sortable wikitable" !width="100"| Outcome !width="50"| Year !width="200"| Opponent in the final !width="200"| Score in the final |- | bgcolor="ffa07a"|Runner-up || 2009 || {{flagicon|AUS}} Rachael Grinham || 11–6, 11–5, 12–10 |}
'''Qatar Classic]: 1 final (0 title, 1 runner-up)'''
{| class="sortable wikitable" !width="100"| Outcome !width="50"| Year !width="200"| Opponent in the final !width="200"| Score in the final |- | bgcolor="ffa07a"|Runner-up || 2011 || {{flagicon|MAS}} Nicol David || 11–2, 11–7, 11-3 |}
== See also == * Official Women's Squash World Ranking
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{WISPA|T00411}} * {{WSA|madeline-perry}} * {{Squash Info|311}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Madeline}} Category:Irish female squash players Category:Living people Category:1977 births Category:Sportspeople from Banbridge Category:Squash players at the 1998 Commonwealth Games Category:Squash players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Category:Squash players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Category:Squash players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Category:Squash players at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for Northern Ireland