Reanne Evans accepts her best chance of getting past Neil Robertson when she makes her debut on the big stage may be the Australian's haphazard time-keeping.
Robertson, the 2010 world champion, has gained a reputation for the occasional blunder, such as when he forgot his shoes at the Crucible earlier in his career and had to rush to a nearby shop just minutes before his match, and when he mistook the day he was supposed to be playing at the Grand Prix in 2009.
Only last October he was in danger of missing the International Championship in China due to a visa mix-up. But when he is on time and on his game Robertson takes some beating, and Evans knows the 31-year-old world No.2 will be as tough an opponent as she could have faced in the first round of the Wuxi Classic next month. World No.1 Mark Selby failed to qualify and Ronnie O'Sullivan is skipping the event.
Evans yesterday became the first woman to qualify for the venue stage of a snooker ranking event when she beat Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-4 in Gloucester.
Looking ahead to the clash with Robertson, in the tournament that runs from June 17 to 23 in the Chinese city of Wuxi, Evans said: "Hopefully, he misses his plane because he's not the best at time-keeping.
"He had a maximum break in Gloucester yesterday and another century, but he was playing in Matt Selt's clothes. I don't know what had happened. Hopefully, he might forget his flight time now.
"Getting through to this tournament didn't really sink in until I started to get loads of text messages. I had to charge my phone up three times, it just didn't stop. I'm so happy I've taken that next step.
She accepts tackling Robertson will be the toughest match she has played. Laughing at the prospect, the nine-time winner of the Ladies' World Championship, said: "That little giggle tells it all. I lost 4-3 to him three years ago when I was on a wild card.
"I still remember it well. It was one of those years where I couldn't buy a win. But then I found myself at 3-3 with Robertson and I was thirty-something in front in the decider.
"I thought, 'I've got it, I've got it'. Obviously he's just world class and you can't take it for granted. It was nip and tuck and I think he fluked a snooker on me – then he cleared up."
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