GRAEME Dott bowed out of the Betfair.com World Championship last night, slipping to an agonising 13-11 defeat to Shaun Murphy.
The Scot had battled back from 6-2 down to lead 10-9 in the last-16 tie but Murphy reeled off four frames in a row for a famous win.
"I gave myself a chance, but I just came up short," reflected Dott. "It was a good game to be involved in. I played well to get back to 8-8. You don't stand much chance of winning when you lose a session 6-2. But I was pleased with the way I fought back.
The only thing which annoyed me was being 10-9 up and I got a kick. I was looking like I'd go 11-9 up. I feel as though I was getting on top at this stage. But Shaun played very well. He's a class act."
Dott, the 2006 world champion, began the day 6-2 down but levelled at 8-8 after breaks of 62, 48, 65, 59, 61 and 56 to level at 8-8.
The two-time Crucible finalist then edged 10-9 ahead, the first time he had led in the match, before Murphy reeled off three frames in a row to get within touching distance of a quarter-final place. Dott hit back to trail 12-11, but Murphy clinched a famous win with a break of 49 in the next frame to end Scotland's interest in the tournament .
Michael White cruised into the quarter-finals with a 13-3 demolition of Thailand's Dechawat Poomjaeng. In doing so, the Welshman became the first Crucible debutant since Andy Hicks in 1995 to reach the quarter-final stages of the sport's premier event.
"I'm thrilled, I played well throughout the match, but getting to the quarter-finals is unbelievable," reflected White. "He's a bit of character, but I kept in the zone."
White led 7-1 overnight and added further breaks of 71, 83, 73 and 102 to triumph with a session to spare.
Judd Trump, the 2011 runner-up, pocketed three centuries – breaks of 109, 127 and 112 – in establishing a healthy 6-2 lead over Hong Kong potter Marco Fu.
Trump added further breaks of 60, 61 and 42 and returns today favourite to progress to the next phase of this year's £1.1m tournament.
Meanwhuile, Steve Davis, the six-time world champion, believes it will take a "super-human" effort for anyone to stop defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan this year.
The next to try will be Ali Carter, O'Sullivan's fellow Essex professional, in the last 16 stage in Sheffield today. The 'Rocket' resumes his title-defence this afternoon after a six-day break back at his home in Chigwell, while other players having been slogging it out on the green baize.
O'Sullivan returns knowing his path to a fifth world crown has been that much easier with the departures of former Crucible winners John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Mark Williams and Peter Ebdon having all been dumped out at the first hurdle.
Davis said. "If Ronnie is not beating himself up – and I see no chance of that happening this time – it will require a super-human performance to beat him. He is still the most naturally gifted match-player at the Crucible. It does seem that things are falling a little bit Ronnie's way in terms of the fancied players already knocked out."
Carter has admitted he's been fed up with the circus which has been surrounding O'Sullivan's eagerly-anticipated return. "Everything is all Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie out there – and I decided not to give people what they wanted in my post-match press conference [after my first-round win]," admitted Carter. "But people forget I have my own motivations, I am not here to make up the numbers. And if I win then great and I will be saying a few things. I won't be intimidated and I don't owe him anything, I just want to go out and play well."
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