Predator Euro Tour Series
Alpina Hotel, St Johann
2026 Predator Austrian Open
ACTION-PACKED OPENING DAY IN AUSTRIA
25th June 2026
THERE WERE MATCHES galore as the Predator Austrian Open commenced today in the mountain town of St Johann in Pongau. With the opening round getting underway at 9.00 and the day’s final session commencing at 22.30, there was full value for spectators at the venue as 199 players started in the men’s event and 52 in the women’s. The stars were out in force in both divisions with no serious casualties after the opening salvos.
In the men’s division there were wins for the three Austrian big names. Mario He defeated Marco Spitzky 9-3, while Max Lechner went to a final rack decider against come-backing Croatian veteran Ivica Putnik.
Albin Ouschan got off to a winning start, defeating Mariusz Gnitecki (POL) 9-4 and can look ahead to an all-Austrian clash against the dangerous Daniel Guttenberger on Friday.
Albin said, “It was tougher than it looked on the scoreboard. I was feeling OK, the table was a little bit rough as it’s quite hot outside and a little bit humid inside but I’m getting used to it and overall, it was a good match but definitely I’ll need another gear to win the next one.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve won a tournament in Austria. I think it was my first European Championship title in straight pool in St Johann ten years ago. So, it’s been a while and it would be very special to win here and mean a lot to me.”
Guttenberger had earlier deposited Thorsten Hohmann, playing his first ever Euro Tour event as an American citizen, to the one-loss side. The ex-German star claimed his only ever Euro Tour title in the Netherlands back in 2003 and will now have to go some to add to that.
Georgi Georgiev who enjoyed a terrific run at the Billard Beckmann Men’s Open, reaching the semi-final stage, kept that form going, closing out two very strong opponents to reach Winner’s Round 2. First, he beat Sanjin Pehlivanovic by 9-5 and followed that up with a 9-3 win over Luca Menn. The Bulgarian, is looking strong, has had plenty of table time on the Predator ARC equipment and was happy to keep his run going.
He said, “It feels amazing and I’m trying to keep the level up but to be honest, in the first match we didn’t play well but the luck was definitely on my side and that covered me up for the rest of the match.
“When I saw the draw, I knew it was going to be a tough match but I was just thinking about getting the win. It’s going to be a little bit different from the Pro Billiard Series here but I think it’s just making a good schedule, you know the time when you’re going to play, either win or lose, so you have to prepare before the matches, take some food, some energy and rest and I’ll be prepared and ready.”
Up and running as well is the Predator Austrian Women’s Open. Round 1 and part of Round 2 have completed and home favourite Jasmin Ouschan negotiated a potentially tricky tie, as she defeated the Netherland’s Jolien Schuurman by 7-1.
Another first-round winner was Sweden’s highly decorated junior star, Linnea Hjalmarstrom. ‘The Valkyrie’ came through with a comfortable 7-0 win over Hungary’s Emese Kukoricza.
She said, “It was a solid match. I haven’t played for a couple of days so I was curious as to how my game would feel and actually it was decent and I finished with a break and run. I feel good but there’s a lot of things I need to work on which I’ll keep in mind for next match but it was the start I wanted.
Hjalmarstrom considered the threats in her quest for her first Euro Tour title; “I think there are many juniors here who could do really well - Julia Babica is one of them, a great player, there are many I could name.
“There are always many Germans here because it’s close for them and it’s 9-ball we’re playing so you never know. I feel like it’s not going to be a favourites game, there’s going to be luck and skill, obviously and anything can happen. There are Asian players here too who are great and definitely players to look out for,” she concluded.
Also looking for a good run this week is Poland’s Monika Zabek who has finished at the last 16 and semi-final stages in the opening two Euro Tours of 2026 which pushes her up to #12 in the rankings. She defeated countrywoman Iza Lacka 7-2 to advance to Winner’s Round 1.
Commented Monica, “I think I started this year pretty good and I’m happy with my results but still there’s room for improvement but I like the direction that I’m going. The score is OK for the first match and I won which is the most important thing but I’m still not used to the slightly bouncy cushions, the cloth is maybe a little bit slower but for the first match it’s OK. I hope I can expect some good results but let’s see what’s going to happen.”
The action resumes on Friday at 9.00 in both men’s and women’s events. Play continues through Friday and Saturday with the two championship matches scheduled for 17.00 on Sunday at 20.00. As of 2026, WPA World Ranking points are now available on both men’s and women’s Predator Euro Tours.
Tables 1, 2 and 3 at the Predator Austrian Open will be streamed throughout on YouTube, via the Pro Billiard TV channel - https://www.youtube.com/@ProBilliardTV
For all results, live scoring and draw, visit www.epbf.com
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