Multiple world champion Dave Causier from England ultimately prevailed in the final, officiated by the freshly minted Billiards Class-1 referee Christian Fock, against Dhruv Sitwala from India with a decisive score of 719-264.
Dave Causier (champion), Dhruv Sitwala (runner-up)
The current number 2 in the World Billiards rankings demonstrated his prowess in every match from the group stages to the final, reinforcing his favorite status with no less than 28 breaks over 100 points, capped by the highest tournament break of 706 played in the semifinal under the guidance of Stephanie Doležal.
Dave Causier, referee Christian Fock, Dhruv Sitwala
Runner-up Dhruv Sitwala, who showcased his world-class status with ten breaks over 100 points among other feats, found his master only in tournament winner Causier, whom he praised highly for his performance after the final.
Taking third places were WBL Director Darren Clark from England and Northern Ireland’s number 1, Christian Kirk.
From an Austrian perspective, Thomas Janzso reached a personal career highlight in his advancement to the round of Last 16 in the domestic world ranking tournament. After three wins from four group games, the current Austrian vice national champion in Snooker only succumbed to WBL top-10 player Darren Clark, solidifying his position as perhaps the best all-round player in the Austrian Billiards and Snooker Association.
Thomas Janzso
Although Austrian national champion in Billiards Martin Schmidt missed out on advancing as fourth in the group stage to the round of Last 16, he secured the Challenge Cup, held parallel to the final rounds of the group winners, with a victory over Canadian Billiards veteran Fraser Durham.
Challenge Cup finalists: Martin Schmidt (winner), Fraser Durham (runner-up)
Vice national champion in Billiards Patrick Stegmeier, who also served as co-tournament director, unfortunately couldn’t build enough of a lead in his final group game against Durham and missed out on advancing to the round of the top 16 players by just 48 points, finishing third in his group.
In total, 35 players, including nine Austrians, participated in the Austrian Billiards Open 2024 in Vienna.
Special thanks go to the Austrian referees Stephanie Doležal, final referee Christian Fock, Walter Kunz, Franz Meszaros, Erich Pließnig, Carl Walter Steiner and Patrick Stegmeier, who officiated the Challenge Cup final. Also heartfelt thanks to Brendan Devlin from Ireland, who actively supported the Austrian referees’ team and participated in the final as a scorer, to Aonghus McAnally from WBL for overseeing and ensuring smooth operations on both tournament days, and to all the volunteers who contributed to the event.
Results Austrian Billiards Open 2024
Photographs: © ÖSBV/WBL
