Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Doherty ya fara kakar wasa ta 2012-13 ta hanyar rasa 4<unk>5 ga Stuart Bingham a zagaye na biyu na Wuxi Classic da 3<unk>5 ga Martin Gould a zagaye na farko na Australian Goldfields Open. Daga karshe ya tattara lambar farko ta 147 ta aikinsa a karamin matsayi na 2012 Paul Hunter Classic a Jamus yayin cin nasara a zagaye na farko da Julian Treiber. Ya ci gaba da kaiwa wasan kusa da na karshe na taron, ya rasa 0<unk>4 ga Mark Selby. An doke Doherty a cikin cancantar zuwa Shanghai Masters da Gasar Burtaniya ta 2012 kuma ya kasa ci gaba bayan zagaye na wildcard na Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya. A taron Turai na biyar,
Scottish Open, ya ga mutane kamar Luca Brecel da Ryan Day don isa wasan kusa da na karshe inda ya yi rashin nasara 2 × 4 a kan Ding Junhui. An fitar da Doherty a zagaye na farko na Masters na Jamus ta hannun Peter Lines, amma sai ya sami mafi kyawun lokacinsa a Wales Open. Ya doke zakaran duniya sau hudu John Higgins 4<unk>1 da Tom Ford 4<unk>3 don shiga cikin wasan kusa da na karshe. Ya jagoranci Stuart Bingham 2<unk>0, amma jerin tukwane da aka rasa sun ga Doherty ya rasa amincewarsa kuma ya ci gaba da rasa 3<unk>5. Gudun da ya ambata a baya zuwa wasan kusa da na karshe na Scottish Open ya taimaka masa ya gama 16th a kan PTC Order of Merit don cancanta a matsayin daya daga cikin manyan 'yan wasa 26 na wasan karshe, amma ya rasa 2<unk>4 ga Kurt Maflin a zagaye na farko. Doherty ya kusan janye daya daga cikin alamominsa na alama da Matthew Selt a zagaye na karshe na gasar cin kofin duniya inda ya tashi daga 4 zuwa 9 ya daidaita a 9 zuwa 9, amma ya rasa tsarin yanke hukunci. Sakamakon ya nuna cewa wannan shine kakar wasa ta farko da Doherty bai fito ba a kowane ɗayan wasannin snooker na Triple Crown. Doherty ya haɓaka matsayinsa ta wurare takwas a lokacin kakar wasa don kammala shi a matsayin mai lamba 27 a duniya.