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.

[1] 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.

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.

Devlin appeared as a castaway on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 21 March 1970,[2] and was inducted into the Badminton Hall of Fame in 1997, together with her father.