"Normally, I would be embarrassed to play like that," the 40-year-old White said.

"But at my age a win is a win. This was the first match of the season for both of us and we were both rusty."

White was never in front until he captured the deciding frame and Doherty's fourth-frame century was easily the highest break of the contest.

The Irish former world champion said: "I should have won 5-3 but I missed too many easy balls that cost me the game."

White's win was only his second in eight years of coming to the Regal Masters.

And, with a highest break of 39, he will have to improve noticeably to get the better of John Higgins in the next round.

"At one stage my head felt like dropping," he said. "There were so many errors I lost count but thankfully I hung in there."

Tuesday's other match saw provisional world number one Stephen Lee cruise to a convincing 5-1 victory against Drew Henry.

Lee said he was delighted to see off qualifier Henry in such comfortable style to secure a quarter-final place against Mark Williams.

"I've been working hard over the summer. I don't usually come back like this," admitted the 27-year-old.

"So overall I was quite pleased with that result. Drew is a gritty type of player and if you don't put him down he will keep bouncing back."

Lee's top break of 76 came in frame three but showed his own grit with a 72 clearance from 58-0 down in the fifth.

That proved to be the turning point as Henry admitted later: "It could have been a different game had I won that frame but he did a great clearance when it mattered."