Snooker: Dott gives himself a chance of Masters glory

15Jan 2013

Graeme Dott admitted he was surprised to edge to a 6-5 victory against Stephen Maguire but now thinks he has a chance of winning the Masters at Alexandra Palace for the first time in his career.

The 35-year-old Scot is 18/1 with bet365 to win a tournament he usually struggles in. The 2006 World Champion has never reached the semi-finals of the Masters before in ten previous attempts, but will have a chance to reach the last four when he faces Judd Trump or Barry Hawkins in the quarter-finals. Dott said: "All the way through I thought there was no way I was going to win, especially as I've lost a few 6-5s in this event. At the end I was just trying to play the right shots, and my safety was good. "I found a bit of a spark at the PTC event in Germany last week, it felt as if things clicked into place. I'll need to play better but I feel now that I at least have a chance." Meanwhile, John Higgins, 4/1 to win the Masters for the third time in his career, reached the quarter-finals with an impressive 6-3 victory over Ali Carter.