Without losing a single match and with a commanding performance, culminating in a 5-3 final victory over Stuart Watson from England, Florian Nüßle, seven-time Austrian National Champion and 2021 Amateurs World Champion, claimed his first European Snooker Championship title at the Portuguese Algarve.
In the 6-Reds format, which is played under special rules with only six red balls instead of the usual 15, Nüßle began the final day with two comfortable 4-0 victories. His quarterfinal win over Andres Petrov from Estonia took only a record-breaking 35 minutes. In the semifinals, Nüßle faced Iulian Boiko. The 19-year-old Ukrainian, one of Nüßle’s closest competitors over the past years, could not counter the Austrian’s dominant play and also suffered a 0-4 defeat, though he still earned a consolation bronze medal.
From left: ÖSBV Head Coach PJ Nolan, Florian Nüßle, Paul Schopf;
source: facebook.com/pj.nolan.147
In the final against Stuart Watson, Nüßle found himself trailing 1-3 after four frames, the first time in the tournament that he faced a significant deficit. However, solid safety play, excellent shot accuracy, and strong nerves when it mattered allowed Nüßle to turn the match around, winning four consecutive frames to claim a 5-3 victory. With this triumph, he made national sports history, becoming Austria’s first-ever European Snooker Champion.
Austria’s other participant, Paul Schopf from Wels, unfortunately exited the tournament after the group stage. However, he was able to witness his national teammate’s triumph from the front row and support him on his path to victory. It’s worth noting that the mutual support within the Austrian Snooker Federation (ÖSBV) team is consistently praised as exemplary during international competitions.
Results EC 6 Reds | Albufeira 2024
Cover photograph: Florian Nüßle; © EBSA