Garry Balter (15 Reds, Vienna) is the well-deserved winner of the 2025 Austrian Snooker League Masters overall ranking. After five tournament victories in five appearances, Balter remained unbeaten throughout the season.

It is a striking display of dominance when an athlete goes through an entire season without a single defeat. Although Balter was unable to compete in the season’s opening event, the seasoned campaigner and multiple Austrian Champion went on to record 25 wins from 25 matches across the five subsequent tournaments, dropping only nine frames in the process.

Balter’s main rival for the top spot, Christian Hochmayer (FBC, Vienna), put together an equally impressive run, finishing on the podium at every 2025 event. However, his third place at the season finale hosted by TSG in Graz ultimately left him second in the final standings.

Hans Nirnberger (SCAH, Heidenreichstein/Lower Austria) clinched third overall at the very end of the season with a runner-up finish at the finale, edging Bernhard Wallner (15 Reds) off the podium. Completing the top five was Gunter Kulle (KSC, Gerasdorf/Lower Austria), whose consistent performances and first-ever semifinal run at a Masters event established him as a genuine medal contender for the upcoming Austrian Championship.

The season finale, featuring a field of 24 athletes, was directed by Michael Peyr of host club Top Snooker Graz (TSG).

The Highest Break of the event went to Christian Hochmayer with 55 points, while the Season’s Highest Break belongs to Garry Balter with 77 points – further cementing his status as the clear favourite heading into the National Championship.

For the first time, the Masters Austrian Championship (ÖM) will begin with a preliminary competition, the so-called Masters ÖM Qualifier, to be staged at the National Snooker and Billiards Academy (BLZ) in Vienna on 15–16 November with a maximum of 32 participants. The four semifinalists will then advance to the ÖSBV Finals in January 2026, where, over one weekend at the BLZ Vienna, all medal decisions of the 2025 ÖSBV Championships will be contested.

» Results | Masters TSG | Round 6/25
» Final Masters Rankings, Season 2025

Title photograph: Garry Balter; © TSG