Reanne Evans, the first female to qualify for the final stages of a ranking event, lost 5-2 to Chinese wild card Zhu Yinghui at the Wuxi Classic, World Snooker reported yesterday.

Nine-time world ladies champion Evans had scored the best win of her career by beating Thailand’s Thepchaiyah Un-Nooh in the qualifiers last month.

She had hoped to meet world number one Neil Robertson in the last 64 in China, but the 27-year-old from Dudley was drawn to face a wild card and couldn’t get past that hurdle.

She led 35-0 in the first frame but Zhu hit back to win it on the black.

The Chinese player then went 3-0 ahead before Evans proved her ability with a break of 79 – the highest of the match.

A run of 38 helped her close to 3-2, but Zhu dominated the last two frames to seal victory.

Despite the result, Evans insisted she is confident about her future in the sport.

“I struggled at the start, I should have won the first frame,” said Evans, who is not on the main tour but was given the chance to play in the Wuxi Classic having finished high on the Q School ranking list.

“That was a big frame because I was playing in a ranking event for the first time.

“It took me a while to get into the match because of my lack of experience in these conditions.

“This will stand me in good stead for the future... maybe I’ll get the chance to play in another ranking event.

“I just need more matches in these conditions, that can only sharpen and improve my game.

“The more comfortable you are, the better you’re going to play. I’m disappointed by the result but I have loved my first time in China – the people have been so welcoming.

“I have to keep putting the hours in. Knowing that I can get here is a big step and I hope I can win more matches in the future.”