Stephen Hendry has claimed his first win since his comeback from retirement, beating old foe Jimmy White in their World Snooker Championship qualifier.

The seven time world champion defeated White 6-3 in Sheffield, advancing to a second round qualifier with world number 82, China's Xu Si.

Hendry and White famously met in four world championship finals between 1990 and 1994, with Hendry winning all four of those, but last night's fare was far removed from the pair's exhilarating meetings of 30 years ago.

Both players struggled for any real consistency, exemplified by when Hendry took a 2-1 lead in the match, winning the third frame with a high-break of seven, which he achieved by potting the final black.

And after taking a 3-1 lead into the mid-session interval, he held White at arm's length to secure a first win on his return to the game, having initially retired back in 2012.

The 52-year-old was honest in his assessment of his win at the English Institute of Sport.

"I don't think I will have frightened anyone with that performance," Stephen Hendry said.

"I was trying to relax and enjoy the occasion. The result probably meant more to Jimmy than it did to me.

"Every match is a bonus and helps me get used to being out there.

"Next season will be a different matter because I will have more competitive snooker under my belt."

White's defeat means that the six-time world championship finalist will have to come through Q-School if he wants to keep his place on the professional circuit unless he's given a wild-card.

"To come into the match and play like that is really frustrating and demoralising," White said.

"I can't really think about what I'm going to do at the moment.

"I'm just going to wait and see how the results go in the next few days, and then make a decision."