Hans Nirnberger of SCAH Heidenreichstein successfully defended his Austrian Masters Snooker Championship title, defeating Christian Hochmayer of FBC Vienna 4-2 in an exciting final. The bronze medal went to Garry Balter of 15 Reds Vienna, the top-ranked player of the past ASL Masters season.
The Austrian Masters Snooker Championship for the 2025 season took place on 11 January 2026 at the Austrian Snooker and Billiards Academy in Vienna. In November four players had qualified for the medal rounds in the ÖSBV Finals – the top four in the ASL Masters end-of-season ranking.
The semi-finals delivered high-quality and closely contested Snooker. Defending champion Hans Nirnberger (SCAH) edged past Bernhard Wallner (15 Reds) 3-2 in a tight best-of-five match. In the second semi-final, Christian Hochmayer (FBC) also prevailed 3-2 against the 2025 season’s top-ranked player, Garry Balter (15 Reds). In this match, Balter produced the highest break of the tournament with a 76 in the opening frame.
Christian Hochmayer, referee Veronika Kovács & Hans Nirnbergerbefore the final
In the best-of-seven final, Nirnberger once again proved decisive, defeating Hochmayer 4-2 to claim his third Austrian Masters title. In the bronze medal match, Garry Balter beat Bernhard Wallner 3-1 to secure a place on the podium.
Medallists Garry Balter, Hans Nirnberger & Christian Hochmayer
Veronika Kovács from Hungary, who also officiated the final, Éva Poskočilová from the Czech Republic, and Christian Fock (Vienna) served as referees. Tournament Director duties were handled by ÖSBV Sports Director Patrick Stegmeier.
» Results Austrian Masters Snooker Championship 2025
Title photograph: Hans Nirnberger; all photographs: © ÖSBV
Austrian Champion Hans Nirnberger; referee Christian Fock
Runner-up Christian Hochmayer
Bronze medallist Garry Balter
4th place: Bernhard Wallner