Palmer’s purple patch sinks El Hindi
David Palmer beaat Wael El Hindi 11-2, 11-8, 11-7 (40 mins)
Wael El Hindi took to the court in a deep purple shirt but it was the Black Knight man with the golden racket who looked the more colour co-ordinated.
David Palmer was in awesome form, rolling back the years to overwhelm the Egyptian in straight games. Palmer powered through the opening game 11-2, then put together significant runs of points in the next two to put  the match beyond El Hindi’s reach.
Palmer finished with a flourish with three spectacular winners among his four final points, burying two crosscourt volley nicks and an outrageous reverse angle.
He said: “Wael was working hard in that third game so it was nice to finish it with a few shots. I keep saying that this will be my last year on the Tour, but if my body holds up and I am moving well then I can still enjoy what I do for a living. I don’t like losing in the first or second round of tournaments but if I can keep playing like that then i am happy to carry on.”
Palmer clearly enjoyed the cool conditions on court and employed a classic drive and boast combination on numerous occasions. Â “I like to throw in a few two-wall boasts now again and they seemed to work well out there,” he said.
Palmer covered the court superbly and his anticipation levels were dazzlingly effective. He cut out any loose shots from El Hindi and took advantage with his trademark kills and volley-drops.