Report – Christian Hochmayer wins Masters season opener

The first tournament of the 2025 Austrian Snooker League Masters season ended with a victory for favourite Christian Hochmayer from the Favoritner Billiards Club (FBC, Vienna). Last season’s top-ranked player secured the title by narrowly defeating newly crowned Austrian Champion Hans Nirnberger from the Snookerclub AtCal Heidenreichstein (SCAH) in Lower Austria.

The season-opening event was a highlight even before the first match began, as a record 50 players registered for an ASL Masters competition. The tournament followed a knock-out format with placement matches for first-round losers. The opening rounds went largely as expected, setting up anticipated quarterfinal match-ups on the final day.

Kenny’s Snooker Center (KSC); ©pstegmeier

Among those who reached the quarterfinals was eventual champion and top-seeded Christian Hochmayer, who claimed a 2-0 victory over Masters newcomer Daniel Seyser from the 15 Reds. Seyser’s clubmate Bernhard Wallner, however, carried the flag for the Vienna-based club in Köö 7 by securing a semifinal spot with a win over Peyman Chitsaz (Snooker Bulls Salzburg). Joining them in the semifinals were Hans Nirnberger, who defeated Carl Walter Steiner (HSEBC, Vienna) 2-1, and Richard Kornberger, who emerged victorious in an all-TSG Graz (Styria) match against Michael Peyr, also winning 2-1.

Hans Nirnberger; ©pstegmeier

Both semifinal matches were played over four frames. Christian Hochmayer secured a solid 3-1 win against Richard Kornberger, while Hans Nirnberger recorded the same score against Bernhard Wallner.

This set up a final between last season’s top-ranked player and the reigning Austrian Masters Champion of 2024 – a matchup that lived up to expectations. Nirnberger made a strong statement in the first frame with the tournament’s highest break, an impressive 70-point clearance, which he followed up by winning the second frame. With the Lower Austria-based player appearing to be on course for victory, Hochmayer staged a dramatic comeback, taking the next two frames to level the match. In the deciding frame, he sealed the win with a 39-point break, claiming the first winner’s trophy of the new season.

Christian Hochmayer; ©KSC/Helmut Schneider

Richard Kornberger secured a spot on the podium by defeating Bernhard Wallner 2-0 in the third-place play-off.

The tournament was organized by Helmut Schneider from the hosting club, Kenny’s Snooker Club (KSC) in Gerasdorf near Vienna. Schneider also officiated a semifinal and the third-place match. The other semifinal and the final were overseen by EBSA referee Carl Walter Steiner, who had recently officiated the Austrian National Snooker Championship final in the Open Class.

The second Masters event of the season will take place on March 8-9 at the HSEBC’s BLZ Vienna venue.

Results | Masters Round 1 | Season 2025