Ali Carter says his win against Ronnie O’Sullivan and run to the Snooker World Championship quarter-finals has given him reason for optimism heading into next season.

The world number 15 from Chelmsford had only made one ranking event semi-final and one quarter-final this season before his run at the Crucible.

But Carter beat Graeme Dott and saw off five-time champion O’Sullivan in the second-round before losing to eventual winner Mark Williams in the last eight.

“I can take a lot of confidence from beating Ronnie,” the Essex player told the BBC.

“Every match is a tough match. I played a world champion in the first round, a world champion in the second round and a world champion in the quarter-final.

“It’s an opportunity missed but I can have some time off and regroup. It’s been a positive end to the season after a not-so-good season. I look forward to next year.”

The two-time Worlds runner-up - one of only six men to score a maximum at the Crucible - kept the pressure on two-time champion Williams until the latter stages when the 43-year-old Welshman went from 9-7 ahead to close out a 13-8 success.

And Carter praised his opponent for his performance.

“Mark played really well,” added 38-year-old Carter. “Credit to him. I felt like I was hanging in there. I should have possibly been 5-3 up after the first session.

“It was a good match. At 9-7 I never had a shot for the first two frames and he’s 11-7 ahead. Then I won a good frame to go 11-8 but he scored another century to go 12-8.

“And even in the last frame everything was uphill. I felt like I was swimming against the tide.”

Carter also reached the semi-finals of the China Championship and the last eight at the International Championship this season.