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Eight in a row for Florian Nüßle
Record National Champion Florian Nüßle (Bulls, S) has won Austria’s most prestigious snooker trophy for the eighth consecutive time, further cementing his record-breaking legacy.
With the minimum required 17 frames and without dropping a single frame, the reigning 6 Reds European Champion secured another national championship title. In the final, he confidently defeated young contender Lukas Stötzer from PSSC, Upper Austria. After convincing victories over Christian Kasparek (Vienna, 4:0), Fidan Krasniqi (Salzburg, 4:0), and Emil Becker (Vienna, 4:0), Nüßle continued his dominant form against the 14-year-old, who last season claimed his first Grand Prix title and took from Nüßle the record as the youngest Grand Prix winner in Austrian snooker history. Nüßle’s commanding 5:0 victory in the final included the tournament’s highest break—a superb 85-point clearance—further solidifying his status as Austria’s most successful snooker player nationally and internationally.
Despite the defeat, Stötzer can celebrate his runner-up title, marking his biggest achievement in the Open Class after collecting numerous U21 titles, including another one on December 12. This success is a significant milestone in the young player’s career.
Another player celebrating a career-best was Emil Becker (HSEBC, Vienna), who secured third place with a 4:1 victory over Josef Elias Wimmer (PSSC). Wimmer had delivered the tournament’s biggest upset by eliminating Oskar Charlesworth (HSEBC) in a quarterfinal decider, thwarting Charlesworth’s hopes for a spot in the final.
Lukas Stötzer, Florian Nüßle, Emil Becker
The season finale of the Austrian Snooker League 2024 saw 23 participants, with ÖSBV Sports Director Patrick Stegmeier serving as tournament director.
Special thanks go to the many referees whose contributions were once again invaluable: Veronika Kóvacs (Budapest), Eva Poskočilová (Prague), Christian Fock, Gunter Kulle, Wolfgang Pecka (all Vienna), Erich Pließnig (Carinthia), Günter Steidl (Upper Austria), Bernhard Ullmann and final referee Carl Walter Steiner (both Vienna).
A big thank you also goes to ÖBU official Andreas Kronlachner for providing livestream coverage of the event.
Results: Austrian National Championship, Open Class, 2024 Season
Title photograph: Florian Nüßle
all photographs: © ÖSBV/pstegmeier
Stephanie Doležal crowned Austrian Women’s Champion.
After winning in 2009 and 2018, Stephanie Doležal from HSEBC, Vienna, has claimed her third Austrian Women’s Snooker Championship title.
In the absence of the defending champion and record-holder Therese Weihs (15 Reds, Vienna), who has won four titles, Doležal made a triumphant return to the championship after having to withdraw at the last minute the previous year. She secured her victory with a hard-fought 2:1 win in the final against Hanna Schneider (15 Reds), who had to settle for the silver medal for the second consecutive year.
The bronze medal went to Christine Weis from KSC in Gerasdorf near Vienna. In the third-place playoff, she defeated the top-ranked player of the previous women’s season in the Austrian Snooker League, Cornelia Spiegl from Snock in Wieselburg, Lower Austria, also with a score of 2:1.
Hanna Schneider, Stephanie Doležal, Christine Weis
A total of six players participated in the event, which was held alongside the final day of the Austrian National Championship (Open Class) at the Austrian Snooker and Billiards Academy in Vienna.
ÖSBV Sports Director Patrick Stegmeier acted as tournament director, with referees Günter Steidl (Upper Austria), Franz Meszaros (Vienna) and Günther Eckhart (Upper Austria), who officiated the final. ÖBU media officer Andreas Kronlachner provided livestream coverage.
Results: Austrian Women’s Championship 2024
Title photograph: Stephanie Doležal
all photographs: © ÖSBV/pstegmeier