Hamilton began the 2007–08 season at the Shanghai Masters, where he lost 4–5 against Adrian Gunnell in the last qualifying round. Hamilton than was eliminated in the round robin stages of the Grand Prix, as he won only two of his five matches. He reached the second round of the Northern Ireland Trophy, by defeating Michael Judge 5–2 in the first round, but lost 2–5 against Shaun Murphy. He could qualify for the televised stage of the 2007 UK Championship, by defeating Barry Pinches 9–6, but lost against Mark Selby 5–9 in the first round. Hamilton then lost in the first round of the Welsh Open 2–5 against Andrew Higginson, and couldn't qualify for the China Open, after losing 1–5 against Marcus Campbell in the last qualifying round. He ensured his qualification for the World Championship with a 10–2 victory over Scott MacKenzie in the final qualifying round, but lost 3–10 to Stephen Maguire in the first round. This saw him drop from number 26 to 31 in the World Rankings at the start of the 2008/2009 season.