Jimmy White's hopes of a first Crucible appearance since 2006 were ended by Robert Milkins, who won their third-round qualifier 6-1 on Saturday.
The first two frames of the match were tight and shared accordingly, but after Milkins produced breaks of 50 and 81 to take a 3-1 lead, White always looked up against it.
It was in the fifth frame that the writing was writ large across the wall, as White went in-off when potting what would have been frame ball, allowing Milkins to move three clear when the gap ought to have been one.
Milkins took the sixth before a counter-punch break of 70 saw him wrap up victory in the first match of the evening to finish.
He will play either Jimmy Robertson or Ashley Carty in search of a return to the main event, where he made the second round on his last visit in 2018 after claiming the scalp of Neil Robertson.
The third qualifying round also saw last year's surprise semi-finalist Gary Wilson crash out after losing 6-3 to Switzerland's Alexander Ursenbacher.
Ursenbacher, bidding to become the first player from his country to play in the World Championship, fired his highest professional break of 141 in the opening frame and was never behind in the match.
Meanwhile, former finalist Ali Carter lost 6-3 to the promising Louis Heathcote on a day where several of those with experience at the bitter end of the World Championship found getting there beyond them this time.
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