Team Malta’s fourth day of competition at the XX Mediterranean Games in Taranto brought a comfortable win on the tennis court, a strong opening in trap shooting and a quarterfinal exit in badminton. Below is a round-up of Tuesday’s results and a look ahead to Wednesday.

Badminton

Maltese badminton player Samuel Cassar faced a tough challenge against Italy’s Giovanni Toti in the men’s singles quarterfinals at the 2026 Mediterranean Games. Despite showing determination on the court, Cassar fell to the Italian opponent in straight sets, dropping the match 21–9, 21–10. Toti’s sharp control and aggressive pace dictated the rhythm from the opening set, leaving little room for Cassar to build momentum. Although the defeat brought Cassar’s singles run in the tournament to an end, his effort highlighted Malta’s continued growth and representation in international badminton against top-tier Mediterranean competitors.

Shooting

Trap shooting got under way today, with Team Malta’s two shooters, Gianluca Chetcuti and William Chetcuti, well placed after the opening 75 targets of qualification. Gianluca Chetcuti sits provisionally in second place on 73/75 after rounds of 24, 24 and 25. William Chetcuti, who opened with two perfect rounds of 25 before a 22 in the third, is on 72/75 and currently level with four other shooters.

Both faced the toughest conditions of the day in the final round, with the sun beating down and the wind picking up. The Maltese pair are competing in a strong field that includes San Marino’s Gian Marco Berti, silver medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and two-time Olympian Mauro de Filippis. Qualification concludes tomorrow morning with two further rounds of 25, with the top eight progressing to the final in the afternoon.

Tennis

Liam Delicata and Alex De Gabriele competed against Jasin Jakupi (KOS) and Wissam Abderrahman (TUN) respectively at the newly built Magna Grecia Tennis Centre.

Liam Delicata made it through to the next round after a 6-0, 6-0 win over Kosovo’s Jasin Jakupi. Delicata was in control from the first game and never let up, dropping no games across the two sets in the Men’s Singles Second Round. Delicata now faces Ioannis Xilas (GRE).

Alex De Gabriele’s singles campaign in Taranto ended on Tuesday evening with a 6-0, 7-5 defeat to Tunisia’s Wissam Abderrahman. The first set slipped away early as Abderrahman’s serve set the tone. De Gabriele responded in the second set, contesting every point and pushing his opponent into longer exchanges, but the Tunisian held on to close out the match. Five aces and a strong second-serve return from De Gabriele weren’t enough on the night, though the fight shown in the second set was clear to see.

Looking ahead

Team Malta’s shooters return to the range tomorrow morning, where Gianluca Chetcuti and William Chetcuti will complete the final two rounds of 25 in trap qualification, with the aim of finishing among the top eight and securing a place in the final. In the afternoon, attention turns to tennis, where Alex De Gabriele and Elaine Genovese take on Kosovo’s Florent Limani and Learta Muharremi in the mixed doubles.