Former world champion Ken Doherty launched a spirited fightback to lead snooker's top woman player Reanne Evans 5-4 at the interval of their World Championship first qualifying round match in Sheffield. Doherty, who won the title in 1997, won four of the final five frames of the morning session after trailing 3-1 at one stage against 29-year-old Evans, a single mum from Dudley who is bidding to become the first woman to appear in the main stages of the world finals at The Crucible. The match will be played to a conclusion when it resumes on Thursday evening. In total, 128 players are involved in qualifying, including legendary names Steve Davis and Jimmy White. Reanne Evans trails Ken Doherty 5-4 at the interval of her World Championship qualifier . Evans is taking on Doherty in a World Championship qualifier and he took the opening frame 71-15 . But Evans settled and hit back brilliantly, taking the next three frames to build an imposing lead . Players have to win three best-of-19 frame rounds to go forward to the World Championship which begins later this month. Of the 10 matches taking place simultaneously on Thursday morning at the Ponds Forge international sports centre in Sheffield, all eyes were on Evans, a big outsider against Doherty despite being a 10-time world champion herself. Television crews from all the major broadcasters and the biggest name in snooker Ronnie O'Sullivan were among those to see the action unfold. The first frame went according to the form book with Doherty winning 71-15 as Evans made a nervy start. But she quickly got over them to win the tactical battle in the next two frames and then rattled up the first break above 50 in the match, a 51 to win the fourth frame after Doherty fluffed a black. Doherty, 45, had admitted before the match he felt extra pressure facing a woman. Evans came up against a resurgent Doherty after the mid-session interval and he now holds the lead . Doherty leads the 29-year-old Evans for the first time since taking the opening frame . He looked grim-faced as he fell behind but levelled the match by winning the fifth frame 68-0 and the sixth with a break of 64. Evans, who was invited by snooker's governing body to take part in World Championship qualifying, retook the lead by winning the seventh frame on the final pink. But Doherty took the eighth with another break of 64 and then went 5-4 in front, the first time he'd led the match since the opening frame.
Reanne Evans faces Ken Doherty in World Championship qualifier .
She lost the first frame  71-15 against the 1997 World Champion .
Evans replied well, winning the next three  before the mid-session interval .
But Doherty fought back and leads 5-4 at the midway point .
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