GRAEME DOTT slumped out of snooker's World Grand Prix on Friday night.
The Scottish 2006 World Champion was beaten by the misfiring Rocket Ronnie O'Sullivan, who labelled his own performance "diabolical".
"It's always a tough match against Graeme," said a relieved O'Sullivan. "Tonight we both played badly, and I felt really nervous out there for some reason.
"It was lucky that Graeme didn't really turn up tonight, because if he had, he probably would have beaten me.
"It was diabolical really. I'm just relieved to get through and hopefully tomorrow is another day."
In an error-strewn affair full of surprise misses and mistakes, flashes of O'Sullivan's sheer natural flair dragged him through.
The five-time World Champion needed three visits to claim the opening frame, and it was a similar story for Dott in the second - neither player able to string together a sizeable break.
A frame-winning clearance in the third saw O'Sullivan regain the lead, before a pivotal fourth frame which summed up the entire match.
In a tetchy exchange, the Chigwell cueman sank 51 before missing to hand the initiative to his opponent, who also made 51.
With just the colours left, the Scot wobbled a fairly straightforward green, and then missed a long distance blue when he had been allowed back in. O'Sullivan clinched blue and pink to deliver a hammer-blow and go within one of victory.
O'Sullivan was far enough in front in the fifth frame to leave Dott needing a snooker, and then fluked one of his own to end the contest and seal a semi-final spot against Stuart Bingham.
"Stuart is a great player," he added. "He's probably played some of the best snooker anyone's ever played against me.
"I'm in for a tough match but it should be a good one. Hopefully I can play better than I did tonight."
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