Jamie Cope faces defending Welsh Open champion Neil Robertson

World No 18 Cope, runner-up in last season's Grand Prix and China Open, edged past outsider Michie 5-4.

"I'm very relieved to get through," said Cope, who faces reigning Welsh Open champion Neil Robertson in round two at the Newport Centre.

Cope had led 3-1 and 4-3 but Michie compiled breaks of 67 and 85 to force a decider that Cope eventually clinched.

The promising 22-year-old seemed set for an early exit when Michie got a chance to win the deciding frame.

606: DEBATE Matthew Stevens or Jamie Cope are the best players outside snooker's top 16 england_tilli_die

The Yorkshireman potted two reds off the cushion but played a poor positional shot on the yellow and subsequently missed it, handing Cope the opportunity for victory.

"The top 16 is my target but I'm trying not to think about it," said Cope.

The 2005 Challenge Tour champion now has an opportunity to avenge his defeat to Australian Robertson in last season's Grand Prix final.

Elsewhere, Drew Henry is considering quitting snooker after the Scotsman was beaten 5-1 by Ian McCulloch.

The 39-year-old looks set to be relegated from the circuit after 17 years as a professional.

Henry needed victory against McCulloch to stay on and will now have to rely on a wildcard from World Snooker for major events.

"I don't know whether I'm going to apply for a wildcard," said Henry.

"I'll have to think about it as I can't see myself playing on the second tour at this moment in time."

Michael Holt, meanwhile, survived a moment of madness before setting up a second round clash with former World and Welsh Open champion Stephen Hendry.

The notoriously nervy Holt looked to have lost the plot when he careered the cue ball off a cushion into the pack of reds at high speed.

That had come after being called for three successive misses while snookered in the deciding frame of his contest with Irishman Joe Delaney.

Both players then had chances before world number 24 Holt held himself together to clinch a dramatic 5-4 victory on the pink courtesy of a 31 clearance.

Nottingham cueman Holt made breaks of 54, 52 and 58 on the way to building a 4-1 advantage but missed several key balls as the finishing line approached.

"I got away with it," said Holt.

"I must have missed 10 zillion chances to win it, I do lack a bit of confidence sometimes."

Andrew Higginson, last year's shock runner-up, rekindled his love affair with Newport by beating Anthony Hamilton 5-2.

Higginson went from the first qualifying round to within a frame of winning the title 12 months ago before losing 9-8 to Robertson.

After a disappointing season, Higginson returned to form as a top break of 107 helped him set up a second round meeting with Masters runner-up Stephen Lee.

"Just driving down here brought back some great memories," the Englishman said.

"There's no reason why I couldn't do the same again as nobody thought I'd do it last year."