The 35-year-old from Malta had never previously advanced beyond the last 16 stage of a Q Tour but managed to win through seven matches to make history for his nation by becoming the first ever Maltese event winner.
Despite falling at the final hurdle, it was an unforgettable coming of age performance 17-year-old Edward Jones from England as he reached the title match at a Q Tour competition for the first time – his previous best run being the last 64.
A total of 109 players from 24 nations contested the four-day tournament, which was hosted alongside the 2026 European Billiards & Snooker Association (EBSA) European Championships in Bulgaria.
Busuttil was perhaps not one of the tournament favourites upon arrival in Sofia but he swept aside cueists from six different countries to earn a maiden title match appearance.
Victories over Bulgaria’s George Petrunko (4-2) and France’s Niel Vincent (4-0) put the Maltese player into a last 32 contest against former Q Tour event finalist Patrick Whelan.
A top break of 95 earned Busuttil a 4-1 win against Whelan to equal his best run and he then beat Matvei Lagodzinschii, who had earlier made the tournament high break of 137, to reach the final day in Sofia.
Busuttil’s dream run continued as he dropped just a single frame across the quarter and semi-finals – overcoming Riley Powell (4-1) and Sybren Sokolowski (4-0) to reach the final.
Awaiting him was teenager Jones, who had never previously made it beyond the last 64 but had earned a place in the title match with outstanding performances to defeat former professionals Peter Devlin and Dean Young among others.
It was Busuttil’s day, however, as he managed to complete a 4-0 victory over Jones to make history as the first Maltese Q Tour champion.
Reflecting on his success, Busuttil said: “I’m over the moon, I can’t believe it to be honest. I was just playing one frame at a time from the very beginning and this happened!”
“I won the European Six-Reds Championship earlier in the week which gave me some confidence. I wasn’t doing anything different specifically, I just kept going”
Speaking about his final opponent, Busuttil said: “I think Edward (Jones) is unbelievable. I saw some of his matches before the final and he was hitting some big breaks. I think he started off better than me but the first frame was crucial.”
Looking ahead, he added: “I feel confident going forward – I’m aiming for the number one spot now.”
