HIGH-FLYING DOTT DISHES OUT A SORE ONE
GRAEME DOTT shrugged off a nagging neck injury to surge into the third round of the UK Championship yesterday. The Scot, who was world champion in 2006, is looking to improve on a record of just one semi-final appearance in 21 attempts in the Triple Crown tournament. World No 19 Dott, 42, made short work of Chinese teenager Yuan Sijun, whitewashing the 19-year-old 6-0 while conceding just 44 points in total. Dott, who made breaks of 58, 56, 82, 77 and 99, said: ‘I will probably have some pain tonight — but it was okay out there today. I think most players in their 40s have something, back pain, neck pain or something. I’ll take some painkillers tonight and be fine for the next one. ‘It is night and day, the standard on tour now to what it used to be. In a way I feel sorry for the players just coming through qualifying school. ‘To earn the money they need in the first two years is nearly impossible. They are trying to learn their trade and still getting Judd Trump or Ronnie O’Sullivan in first rounds.’ Dott was joined in the third round by fellow Scots John Higgins, who beat Lu Ning of China 6-1, and Stephen Maguire, a 6-2 winner over Northern Ireland’s Jordan Brown. Meanwhile, world champion Trump admits he could have gone to pot, had he tasted Crucible glory at a younger age. He eased through to the third round with a 6-1 win over China’s Mei Xiwen. The 30-year-old Englishman finally claimed a long-awaited first world title this year, having first lost in the final aged 21, back in 2011. That came in the middle of a spell of dominance that has seen him win seven titles and £1.6million in the past 13 months.
Trump is now bidding to win a second UK title — and become only the second man after Stephen Hendry to win the Masters, world and UK titles in a calendar year. Trump, now savouring every success, said: ‘If I had beaten John Higgins in that first world final in 2011 at the age of 21, it could have been the worst thing for me. ‘I could have gone off the rails, and become over-confident. Waiting as long as I did, I have been able to enjoy it and take everything in. At the start of this season, it was in my head to try and win this UK Championship and complete the Triple Crown in a calendar year.’