Ali Carter relishing world title bid as hot streak continues at Players Championship snooker – 'I'm at home there'

Ali Carter has lost twice in World Championship finals to snooker GOAT Ronnie O'Sullivan, but feels his form is good enough to go one better in Sheffield this year. Carter followed up his 6-5 victory over Judd Trump in the first round of the Players Championship with a 6-1 quarter-final drubbing of Welsh Open champion Robert Milkins on Wednesday night to reach the semi-finals in Wolverhampton. Ad After lifting a second German Masters title at the outset of the month with a 10-3 win against Tom Ford, Carter – a world finalist in 2008 and 2012 – admits he is finding top form at exactly the right time ahead of the sport's biggest event in April.

Players ChampionshipCarter thrashes Welsh Open champ Milkins to reach Players Championship semi-finals16 HOURS AGO He made breaks of 66, 98, 65 and 75 against Milkins – the man who denied him a £150,000 European Order of Merit bonus by winning the Welsh Open on Sunday – to secure a semi-final meeting with Joe O'Connor or Luca Brecel on Friday night. Carter is up to 15th in the world and is provisionally seeded 13th for the World Championship which means he will avoid a trip to the qualifiers after losing 10-8 to Matthew Stevens in the last 48 last year. «I think my game is suited to the World Championship, I like the longer formats,» said Carter, who has also reached the semi-finals and three quarter-finals after first qualifying for the Crucible 20 years ago.

«Obviously, I'm at home there, I've played there for many, many years and had a lot of success there. »The only thing I haven't done is won it. My game is in the best shape.