Island resident David Palmer is hoping to “earn the right to be the home favourite” with a strong performance in tonight's intriguing semi-final match up with the enigmatic Jonathan Power.

The former world number one reached the final four by making the most of a strangely out-of-sorts Peter Nicol and powering to a 3-1 victory during a match of supreme athleticism and clinical finishing.

Palmer, who had to pull out of the Bermuda Open's invitational fore-runner last year with appendicitis, overcame his opponent with surprising comfort despite coming in the encounter as the underdog.

He eased to a 2-0 lead against Nick Kyme's conqueror, who was only showing flashes of the skills that elevated him to a dominant position in world squash for so many years, before blowing an 8-2 lead in the third.

In winning 13 straight points, Nicol utilised his full arsenal of shots, with his ability to drop the ball with astonishing deceit too much for Palmer to handle.

But the Scot-turned-Englishman, who was later to blame his defeat on his lack of preparation for the tournament, was unable to reproduce his cunning in the fourth game to hand Palmer the win.

“It was a pretty tough game and, I admit, I was surprised at how I was able to build that sort of lead with relative ease,” said Palmer, who shares a coach and a Belgian training base with Bermudian teenager James Stout.

“But he showed what he could do in the third game and I was basically shocked by it. But in the last I knew what to expect a little more and was ready.”

Palmer, who looks every bit the consummate athlete with his long reach and more muscular physique than many of the top squash stars, is hoping for a little home support in tonight's match-up - but doesn't expect his residency here to guarantee that.

“Of course I am hoping for that but I can't expect to be the home favourite - that can only ever be Nick Kyme,” he added.

“But I would like to earn the right to get their support and I hope that this win over Peter will go some way towards that.”

Power out-fought John White in four abrasive games, during which the Scot allowed his arguments with the referee to affect his play enough to all but hand squash's John McEnroe the win.

In a game of many lets and plenty of official-bating, Power triumphed 15-11, 15-7, 12-15, 15-10.