In this July 23, 2017 photo, Britain's Ronnie O'Sullivan plays a shot during the final of the Hong Kong Masters snooker tournament. (DALE DE LA REY / AFP)

LONDON - Five-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan failed to reach the finals at the Snooker Championship League after losing a crucial match against Stuart Bingham on Tuesday.

Ronnie O'Sullivan, cruising into the last 16 stage after clinching three consecutive wins from his first-round group matches last Friday, finished Tuesday's Group C journey with two victories and one loss

Elite sport events were allowed to resume behind closed doors in Britain last Monday and snooker came back with the non-ranking event held at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, after being suspended for 11 weeks.

O'Sullivan, cruising into the last 16 stage after clinching three consecutive wins from his first-round group matches last Friday, finished Tuesday's Group C journey with two victories and one loss.

Bingham also recorded two wins and one defeat, but the 3-0 win over O'Sullivan sealed the reigning Masters champion's top place in the group.

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O'Sullivan, 44, agreed to take part in the 64-man event only after he was allowed to bring his own food. "I don't trust people cooking my food at the hotel during these times. I have been told that will be okay, but you never know until you arrive there and see what happens." he was quoted by British media as saying.

In Group D, Chinese ace Liang Wenbo finished bottom of the group with one draw and two losses while Ben Woollaston won the group after clinching two victories and one loss.

Liang, 34th in the world rankings, won three matches in a row including a victory over three-time world champion Mark Selby to reach the last 16 last Thursday.