Malta is guaranteed a place in the final of the European Six Reds Snooker Championship after Aaron Busuttil and Chris Peplow both advanced to the semi-finals following three victories apiece in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Saturday.

The two Maltese players will now face each other in Sunday’s semi-final, ensuring that Malta will have a representative in the final of the individual competition at the European Snooker Championship, organised by the European Billiards and Snooker Association (EBSA).

Busuttil enjoyed an impressive run through the knockout stages, beginning with a convincing 4-0 victory over Frenchman Niel Vincent in the last 32.

He then defeated England’s Halim Hussain 4-1 in the last 16 before overcoming Germany’s Simon Lichtenberg by the same score in the quarter-finals to secure his place in the last four.

Peplow was equally impressive, beginning his knockout campaign with a 4-1 victory over Germany’s Christian Richter.

He followed that up with a 4-2 win against Englishman Steve Crowley in the last 16 before defeating Finland’s Toni Savonen 4-1 in the quarter-finals.

The two Maltese players will now meet in Sunday’s opening semi-final, scheduled to begin at 9am.

The winner will face either Germany’s Alexander Widau or Wales’ Alfie Davies in the final, which is scheduled for 3.30pm and will be contested over the best of nine frames.

Meanwhile, Malta’s third representative in the knockout stage, Alex Borg, was eliminated in the last 32 after suffering a 4-1 defeat against Hussain.

With Busuttil and Peplow both reaching the semi-finals, Malta is assured of at least one more medal, taking the country’s tally to five at this year’s European Snooker Championship.

The Maltese contingent had already secured a silver medal in the Men’s team competition, where Busuttil and Peplow narrowly lost 3-2 to Poland in the final.

The EBSA Shoot Out competition will also take place on Sunday, between the conclusion of the Six Reds semi-finals and the start of the final.

A total of 53 players will participate in the Shoot Out, including Malta’s five representatives who competed in the Six Reds event: Busuttil, Peplow, Borg, Joseph Casha and his 15-year-old son Caiden.

The Shoot Out will bring the Maltese players’ commitments at this year’s European Snooker Championship in Sofia to a close.