Milkins - ousted by Dott on Monday (Getty Images)
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Graeme Dott emerged smiling from "the biggest match of my life" to reach
the last 16 of the Embassy World Championship in Sheffield on Monday.
Dott turned a 5-4 overnight lead into a 10-4 victory over qualifier Robert
Milkins - a win that confirms his place in the top 16 for next season.
"There was so much riding on the game and I've never felt as nervous as I did
before going out for that final session," admitted the 25-year-old Scot.
"Had I lost it would have been disastrous," added Dott who now plays 1997
world champion Ken Doherty or 20-year-old qualifier Shaun Murphy.
However, Milkins lost the plot in the second session, unable to handle the rub
of the green that went the Glaswegian professional's way.
"I like Robert but I'm delighted I got all the luck. The amount of bad luck
I've had this season has been phenomenal.
"And anyone who follows me would know what I'm talking about. But I knew if
I kept it tight Robert might get frustrated. He knows only one way to play and
that's to attack."
The only time Milkins knuckled down was in the final frame of the match having
had 15 minutes to calm down during the interval.
It lasted nearly 40 minutes before Dott potted the necessary balls to take him
into the next stage.
"I'm going to do a Mark King interview," grimaced Milkins whose top break in
the final session was just 25.
King threatened to quit the game yesterday after losing to Dott's fellow Scot
Drew Henry in another match decided by the rub of the green.
"No disrespect but I've been losing to players all season who I should be
beating," he added.
"I'm glad it's all over for the season. But I'll have a couple of months off
and hopefully I'll be able to do something in the tournaments next season.
"I just don't seem to be able to perform at the venues. Even when I reached
the quarter-finals of the UK Championships I didn't well apart from one game
against Nigel Bond.
"At least I know I have the talent and if I start to do it at the final
venues I will be getting to latter the stages or even winning tournaments."
Milkins, the world number 33, was miffed to trail 5-4 after yesterday's
opening session.
"I should have been 5-4 in front, maybe 6-3," he insisted. "If I had been I
think I would have won comfortably.
"But it was incredible the amount of luck Graeme was getting. But that's
snooker - I just wish it hadn't happened at the World Championships."
On the adjoining table Steve Davis edged in front of Stephen Lee for the first
time in the game.
The 45-year-old legend is back at The Crucible in a playing capacity for the
first time in three seasons.
But the six-times champion made a poor start as world number seven Lee from
Trowbridge took the opening two frames.
However, Davis slowly began to get into the game and his second half century
of the morning enabled him to take the third frame.
He made 42 to level at 2-2 and then with scoring visits of 28 and 41 hit the
front at 3-2. The pair still had four more frames to complete in the first
session before returning at 7pm to conclude the game.
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