The 2026 European Snooker Championship got underway on Sunday in Gandia, Spain, with Maltese players making an excellent start during the opening day of the group stage.

Four Maltese players were in action and all recorded victories, while Brian Cini did not play on the first day.

Aaron Busuttil, Chris Peplow and Joseph Casha each secured convincing 3–0 wins, without dropping a frame. Joseph Casha was the first Maltese player to compete, defeating Ireland’s Dan Merrigan with frame scores of 83–39, 79–31 and 56–45.

Aaron Busuttil also produced a dominant performance against Spain’s Oscar Puigpinos, winning 89–46, 77–17 and 95–47, compiling a break of 73 in the second frame.

Chris Peplow faced Scotland’s Ayaan Iqbal and recovered well after a difficult opening frame. He eventually took control of the match, winning 57–50, 71–11 and 76–1, finishing the encounter with a break of 76.

Philip Ciantar also enjoyed a solid start, defeating the Netherlands’ Hugo Van Houten 3–1 with frame scores of 55–26, 25–90, 48–36 and 90–14. Ciantar produced a break of 86, which currently stands as the highest break by a Maltese player in the championship.

Action continues on Monday with all five Maltese players scheduled to play one match, as Brian Cini begins his campaign.

Monday’s matches involving Maltese players:

• 10:00 – Group AO: Brian Cini vs Jose Ignacio Enciso (Spain)
• 12:30 – Group E: Aaron Busuttil vs Martin Orinak (Slovakia)
• 12:30 – Group F: Chris Peplow vs Thomas Janzso (Austria)
• 12:30 – Group G: Joseph Casha vs Kayhan Durukan (Turkey)
• 17:30 – Group S: Philip Ciantar vs Daan Leyssen Janssens (Spain)