This year’s edition of the World Snooker Championship, organised by the World Snooker Federation (WSF), got underway on Saturday in Sofia, Bulgaria, with seven Maltese players taking part in their opening group matches.

Four of them Brian Cini, Chris Peplow, Xavier Rizzo, and Alex Borg, made an impressive start by securing victories on the opening day.

Both Cini and Peplow recorded comfortable 3-0 wins. Cini proved too strong for Poland’s Sebastian Milewski, producing an excellent 88-point break in the first frame and dominating throughout the match. He won with scores of 92(88)-09, 89-2, and 65-59.

Peplow was equally commanding against South Africa’s Michael Davids. He controlled every frame and sealed the encounter with a fine 51-point run in the third frame, winning 60-2, 60-13, and 84(51)-0.

Teenager Xavier Rizzo, who earlier this week reached the last 16 of the Junior World Championship, also began his campaign on a positive note. Rizzo defeated Latvia’s Mareks Cipsts 3-1 after taking a two-frame lead, conceding the third, and closing out the match in the fourth. The scores were 56-48, 63-23, 37-59, and 68-56.

Veteran Alex Borg secured Malta’s fourth victory in a closely fought encounter against Serbia’s Vasilije Pešić, winning 3-2. Borg started strongly with breaks of 70 and 66 in the first two frames. Although his opponent fought back to level the match, Borg remained focused in the decider, producing a crucial 22-point break to seal victory. The frame scores were 70(70)-23, 91(66)-0, 14-71, 51-53, and 61-18.

The remaining three Maltese players were unable to record wins in their opening matches. Aaron Busuttil began well with a 75-point break in the first frame, but England’s Kaylan Patel won the next three frames to turn the match around.

Joseph Casha and Chris Camilleri both suffered 3-0 defeats. Casha was beaten by Thailand’s Nattanapong Chaikul, while Camilleri lost to England’s Billy Castle.

Despite the mixed results, Malta’s strong start through four victories provides encouragement as the championship continues in Sofia.