Snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan's return stalls with early defeat at the International Championship

Five-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan suffered an early exit from the International Championship in Chengdu after Liang Wenbo recovered from three frames down to reach the last 16.

O'Sullivan, who had not played in a major tournament since winning the World Championship at the Crucible in May, made a successful return to ranking event action by beating Anthony McGill in the first round in China on Monday.

But though O'Sullivan built a 4-1 lead against Liang, he could not progress to a knockout meeting with Mark Davis – a 6-3 winner over Stuart Carrington – as his 26-year-old opponent won five straight frames to clinch a 6-4 win.