Crowd favourite Jimmy White rolled back the years at the Gibraltar Open, pulling off a massive upset as he beat former world champion Stuart Bingham 4-2.
The Whirlwind produced his best snooker of the season when beating Joe O'Connor in the first round, coming from 3-0 behind to prevail in that tense encounter, and he was equally impressive on this occasion as he ran out a deserved winner.
White looked assured from the start and having got the better of a tight opening frame, he repeated the dose in frame three after Bingham had put together a well-constructed run of 61 moments earlier.
The 2020 Masters winner again drew level thanks to a break of 63 in the fourth frame, but having apparently regained the initiative, Bingham grew progressively more frustrated as the match went on as White doggedly scrapped his way to victory.
The great escape 😱
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) March 5, 2021
This is absolutely magical from @jimmywhite147 👏 pic.twitter.com/eREpZjO95X
Bingham left to rue missed opportunities
Frame five ultimately proved to be the pivotal moment in the contest, both players fluffing good chances to move within touching distance of victory before Bingham again missed from distance. To his credit, White puffed his cheeks before producing a pinpoint clearance.
A crisp, long pot handed Bingham another golden opportunity in the following frame, but when he missed a tricky red soon after having found himself badly hampered, White finished the job with all the style and panache of old.
A couple of trademark deep screw shots ensured he always had the cue ball under reasonable control and as the winning line drew nearer, White grew stronger, stretching the break to 74 and ensuring that visit was enough to be a frame and match-winning one.
Allen survives huge scare
Elsewhere, Mark Allen enjoyed an outrageous fluke on the final black to beat Ukrainian teenager Iulian Boiko.
Allen recovered from 3-1 down against his 15-year-old opponent with the aid of a break of 126 to force a decider and was seven points ahead with just the black remaining.
The Northern Irishman looked to be attempting a safety when the black hit the jaw of the corner pocket and remarkably rebounded the length of the table and dropped into the yellow pocket.
Thepchaiya and Gilbert battle through
Lei Peifan, who beat world number three Neil Robertson in the first round, also won a decider to edge past Dylan Emery, while Thepchaiya Un-Nooh recovered from 3-1 down with breaks of 61, 119 and 73 to beat Rod Lawler 4-3.
David Gilbert was also taken the distance before beating Jimmy Robertson 4-3, but former world champion Shaun Murphy enjoyed a more comfortable 4-1 win over Luca Brecel.
Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson were high-profile casualties in the evening session, losing to Chris Wakelin and Matthew Selt respectively.
