Briton Johanna Konta went to bed happy after losing in the Wuhan Open quarter finals to childhood idol Venus Williams, saying her performance at the tournament had given her "a lot of confidence".

The British number-one-in-waiting began the year ranked 150 but will likely break into the top 50 when the new rankings are released Monday.

The 24-year-old has spent the year flitting between the main WTA tour and the lower ITF circuit, entering both the Wuhan Open and the US Open, where she reached the last 16, as a qualifier.

"I take a lot of confidence from the fact that I played six matches in a row... to be able to play at such a high level against some of the best players in the world and to keep repeating that day in and day out," the Briton said of her performance at Wuhan.

Konta beat world number two Simona Halep en route to the Wuhan quarters, where she met seven-time singles Grand Slam-winner Venus Williams.