Cao notched his first-ever maximum break in tournament play in the second round of the Scottish Open. He became only the third player from mainland China to achieve the feat, following Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo. Cao later reached the final of the Scottish Open, the first ranking final in his career. After leading 8–4, his opponent, Neil Robertson, won the final five frames in dramatic fashion to defeat Cao by 9–8. The same season he reached the semi-finals of the European Masters but lost to eventual champion Judd Trump and his second final the Gibraltar Open, where he lost 4-0 to Ryan Day.