Ken Doherty failed in his bid to reach the World Snooker Championship as the 1997 champion and three-time finalist slumped to defeat against Gerard Greene in the final qualifying round.
The Dubliner dropped out of the top 16 at the end of last season, after a 15-year stint among the elite players, meaning he was no longer guaranteed a place in the Crucible main draw.
His slump continued today at the English Institute of Sport venue in Sheffield, on the final day of the three-day qualifying event, as he tripped up 10-5 against Northern Irish opponent Greene.
‘I'm on a slippery slope and I don't know where it will finish,’ Doherty said on worldsnooker.com.
‘I'll be back next season, but maybe not for too long, the way things are going.’
Greene led 6-3 after the first session and pressed home his advantage in the afternoon to make sure of his place in the televised stages of the tournament which begin on April 18.
The 35-year-old will hope to improve on his record on snooker's biggest stage, having lost all three of his previous first-round matches at the Crucible.
While Doherty, 39, bowed out, former semi-finalist Joe Swail thrashed Matthew Couch 10-1 to ensure he will be returning to South Yorkshire next month.
Scunthorpe player Couch had knocked out the 1991 champion John Parrott to reach the final round of qualifying, however he was crushed by Swail.
Swail, 39, dropped out of the world's top 16 players after his defeat to Liang Wenbo in the second round at the Crucible last year, but a polished performance against Couch guaranteed he will return to the Sheffield theatre.
The draw for the first round of the World Championships takes place tomorrow morning, with two-time former winner Mark Williams and Stephen Lee among the big-name players currently ranked outside the top 16 to have come through the qualifying stage.
Meanwhile, six-time winner Steve Davis will return to the Crucible next month for another crack after beating Mansfield's Lee Spick in the final round of qualifying.
Davis last won the world title in 1989 when he thrashed John Parrott 18-3. But while his beaten opponent that year missed out on a return visit this time, after losing in the penultimate round of qualifying, 51-year-old Davis made sure of his place.
His was the last of today's five qualifiers to finish, with Davis prevailing 10-8, and he will learn his first-round opponent tomorrow morning when the draw is made.
Earlier, Northamptonshire-based Rory McLeod beat former semi-finalist Ian McCulloch 10-7 to earn a Crucible debut. McLeod, who coaches the Qatar snooker team, will have turned 38 by the time the tournament begins.
Barry Hawkins also qualified, beating Daniel Wells 10-9.
