A quarter-final run in the Welsh Open and a first round defeat in the World Open followed, before Maguire competed in the China Open. There he had wins over O'Sullivan and Stephen Lee. He played Peter Ebdon in the final, but trailed 1–5 before winning seven of the next ten frames to level the match at 8–8. The match went into a decider which Ebdon won. Maguire went into the 2012 World Snooker Championship and defeated Luca Brecel 10–5 in the first round, Joe Perry 13–7 in the second and Stephen Hendry 13–2 in the quarter-finals, with a . Maguire would unwittingly become Hendry's last opponent as the seven-time winner of the event retired immediately after the match. Maguire lost his semi-final 12–17 to Ali Carter, and finished the season ranked world number 4, meaning he had climbed four places during the year.