World Championship qualifying 2021 – Stephen Hendry sees off Jimmy White in much-hyped reunion

ByBen Snowball

Updated 05/04/2021 at 23:13 GMT

Hendry is three matches from reaching the main draw after seeing off his old foe White. The pair contested four world finals in the 1990s, Hendry winning them all, and the seven-time world champion stayed in control of nerves to win an error-strewn contest 6-3. You can watch every match of the World Championship live and ad-free on the Eurosport App and eurosport.co.uk.

Stephen Hendry saw off Jimmy White 6-3 in their eagerly-anticipated World Championship qualifier.

In a match that was high on nostalgia but low on quality, seven-time world champion Hendry eventually prevailed at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield to move within three matches of a Crucible return.

No one was expecting the giddy heights of their heyday, but there was an unavoidable dose of reality when the pre-match hype was replaced with a series of wayward and confusing shots from both players.

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White almost potted the cue ball with his opening break and while Hendry started with a peach of a red, his error-o-meter was soon whirring as the match failed to find any rhythm.

'That is the Hendry we remember well!' - Stunning clearance after big White miss

The Whirlwind was first on the board and had an opportunity to snatch the second – Hendry left furious after missing a routine red into the left middle – but the 58-year-old was unable to capitalise as his old foe drew level.

White then appeared to have the third frame wrapped up, with Hendry chasing a snooker and just the pink and black to work with. But incredibly, Hendry pinned his opponent for a six-point foul, then wriggled out of trouble himself by potting the pink during a one-cushion escape.

Both players had chances on the final black before Hendry eventually put it away – the shot giving him seven points and, remarkably, his highest break of the entire frame – and quipped to referee Leo Scullion “you’ve got a long night ahead”.

'What about that!' - White stays in Hendry clash with fine fluke on the yellow

He was right. Although both players improved, Hendry taking the next two frames either side of the interval – including an overdue 53 break – the standard was still short of what many anticipated.

Hendry then swooped in with a magnificent break of 66, wiping out White’s first half century of the match and moving one from victory.

But White wasn’t quite done. He took the seventh and eighth – the latter despite bizarrely sitting down after making a shot – before his journey ended in the ninth as Hendry came home, swept into the second round of qualifying by a 52 break.

Hendry will next play world number 82 Xu Si.

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You can watch every match of the World Championship live and ad-free on the Eurosport App and eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app now for iOS and Android.

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