Reanne Evans: Women's number one two wins away from reaching Crucible
- From the section Snooker
Reanne Evans moved to within two wins of becoming the first female competitor to reach the main TV stages at the Crucible with a shock 10-8 victory over Robin Hull in World Championship qualifying.
The 31-year-old has won the Ladies' World Championship a record 11 times, but was beaten in last year's final by Hong Kong's Ng On Yee.
The Dudley-born player, who is the women's world number one, will play world number 91 Lee Walker, of Wales, next.
Having accepted an invitation for qualifying at Pond's Forge in Sheffield, Evans fell 2-0 and 4-2 behind to world number 57 Hull before levelling at 4-4 and edging ahead for the first time at 6-5. She trailed again at 7-6 and 8-7 before wrapping up three frames in a row to progress.
In 2015, Evans faced 1997 world champion Ken Doherty in qualifying, but suffered a narrow 10-8 defeat.
"This is my best win," said Evans. "Robin is an amazing player.
"I felt really good out there. If I had lost I would had felt even more gutted than a couple of years ago against Ken.
"When it went 8-8 I thought 'oh no, not again' but I stuck in well. I felt nervous but I had them under control."
The 2017 World Championship takes place from 15 April until 1 May, with world number one Mark Selby looking to successfully defend his title.
