On Sunday, during the second day of the group phase at the World Snooker Federation (WSF) World Snooker Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria, four of the seven Maltese participants were in action. Aaron Busuttil and Joseph Casha secured comprehensive 3-0 victories, while Brian Cini and Xavier Rizzo suffered narrow defeats.
Busuttil and Casha bounced back from first-day losses, closing their matches in under an hour. Busuttil defeated Moroccan Mostafa El Younsi with scores of 65-27, 80-17, 78-1, while Casha overcame England’s Thiru Siva 62-1, 65-7, 59-15. During the second frame, Casha registered a 50-point break, highlighting his form on the table.
Brian Cini lost 3-1 to England’s Aidan Murphy despite a strong performance in the fourth frame. Cini recovered from a 40-point deficit to tie the frame at 53-53, taking a 74-61 lead before Murphy potted the remaining balls to win the match.
Xavier Rizzo faced England’s Marcos Dayao and was defeated 3-2 in a closely contested encounter. Dayao opened strongly with a 93-point break in the first frame, but Rizzo responded by winning the second. In the fourth frame, Rizzo overturned a 52-0 deficit to force a deciding frame, which Dayao ultimately claimed with a 54-point break.
Looking ahead, Brian Cini, Joseph Casha, and Xavier Rizzo will have no matches on Monday. The remaining four Maltese players are scheduled for the third day of competition:
- 09:00 – Group Q: Aaron Busuttil vs Wang Xinzhong (China)
- 11:00 – Group X: Chris Peplow vs Lomnaw Issarangkun Na Ayuttaya (Thailand)
- 15:00 – Group C: Chris Camilleri vs Ganzorig Soyolsuren (Mongolia)
- 15:00 – Group AM: Alex Borg vs Joel Connolly (Northern Ireland)
The Maltese contingent will look to build on their victories as the WSF World Snooker Championship progresses, aiming to advance further in the tournament.
