Alan McManus kept his composure to score a 10-7 first-round win and leave Jimmy White empty-handed once more after his 19th visit to the Crucible Theatre in the Embassy World Championship last night.
Play was suspended in frame 14 while two rowdy and drunken members of the audience were thrown out by the security staff - and it all helped to disrupt White's concentration as he battled against the world number eight from Glasgow and his own mental frailty.
"There were a couple of guys shouting out, and it gets a bit silly at times," explained McManus. "I've said that at other tournaments, and it doesn't help Jimmy.
"You always know it's going to get a little boisterous when you play Jimmy - but after every shot it does get a bit boring. It certainly disrupts the flow of the game. As the referee said, you are fighting out there for your life."
Top official John Williams suspended play for a couple of minutes until calm was restored. White lost the frame when poised to level at 8-8 and then handed over frame 17 much to the disappointment of a capacity crowd.
"When you're not tuned in the Crucible can be a hard place to play," said the six-time runner-up White who started the evening with a 5-4 lead.
"I struggled from shot one tonight in every aspect of the game. I was trying to motivate myself and I couldn't get any concentration.
"I never felt like I was going to perform, which is quite soul-destroying. I don't know when next season starts but I'm going to have a very long holiday."
White's defeat means he will almost certainly fail to regain his place in the world's top 16 next season.
World number three Ronnie O'Sullivan will bring the first round to a close today when he should complete the formalities of victory over qualifier Leo Fernandez. O'Sullivan leads 7-2 overnight, requiring only three more frames.
Stephen Hendry reached the last 16 following the shock earlier defeat for long-standing adversary Steve Davis.
With 20-year-old Paul Hunter threatening to deprive the tournament of another star name, Scotsman Hendry came from 8-7 down to register a tense 10-8 victory.
But as Hendry moved to within four wins of a modern-day record seventh world title he was oblivious that Davis, also chasing championship number seven, was once more out of the competition.
"I had no idea what the score was and that he lost," said Hendry after learning of Davis' 10-9 defeat to little-known Joe Perry, which brought back memories of the black-ball decider against Dennis Taylor in the 1985 final.
"No one has got more respect or admiration for Steve than me and I'm sure he'll be gutted.
"Obviously I feel for him, but this is sport. Someone wins and someone has to lose. Besides, Steve has broken a good few hearts himself over the years."
