In December 2017, Hawkins advanced to the third round of the UK Championship after beating Kurt Dunham and Hammad Miah, but was knocked out by Akani Songsermsawad after suffering a 6–0 defeat. After match, Hawkins said that he was "in a state of shock" for his performance. In January 2018, Hawkins was defeated by the eventual finalist Kyren Wilson in the first round of the Masters, he lost 6–4. In March, Hawkins reached the final of the Welsh Open after beating the likes of Tom Ford, Martin Gould, Yan Bingtao, and Noppon Saengkham. He faced John Higgins in the final. Despite making three centuries, he eventually lost 9–7. In April, Hawkins reached another final in a ranking event, this time he faced Mark Selby in the final of the China Open. But Selby, the defending champion, was proven to be too strong for Hawkins on the day, Hawkins lost by 11–3. In May, Hawkins maintained his excellent record at the Crucible, after beating Stuart Carrington, Lyu Haotian, and Ding Junhui, he reached another semi-final at the World Snooker Championship and faced Mark Williams. The match was a nervy classic, with a total of 20 breaks over 50 between the two players, Williams eventually won 17–15.