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The Dynamic Billlard Austrian Open
Alpina Wellness & Sporthotel
Alpendorf 8 - 5600
Sankt Johann im Pongau
Austria
www.sporthotel-alpina.com
www.epbf.com
www.epconline.eu
www.kozoom.com

Thursday-Saturday 18-20 May 2017

Mario He (AUT) winning his second Euro-Tour title
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Mario He takes the title on home turf

Austria�s Mario He just clearly defeated Francisco Sanchez-Riuz (ESP) with 9:2 in the final match of the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open in Alpina Wellness & Sports Hotel, St. Johann i.Pg., Austria.

Mario He�s way into the final could not have been longer. He lost his opening match and had to take the long road through the loser�s side. Then, in the single elimination stage, he eliminated Tomasz Kaplan (POL) 9:8, Daryl Peach (GBR) 9:3, Marco Teutscher (NED) 9:4 and in the semi-final his teammate Albin Ouschan (AUT) 9:8. Sanchez� way into the final match led over victories over Mark Gray (GBR) 9:2, Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) 9:6, Nick van den Berg (NED) 9:5 and in the semi-final Joshua Filler (GER) 9:7. The final match turned out to become a one man show by Mario He. Sanchez just could not find his rhythm. He even committed a time foul since the match was under the clock and he simply took too much time for his shot. After 9 racks, Mario He was up 8:1 and only a little step away from glory. Sanchez tried to give a bit more of a fight to Mario He and won another rack. But that was it for Sanchez. Mario He returned to the table and ran another rack, winning the final with a more than impressive result of 9:2. �I am over the moon�, said He after the match, �I had the worst of all starts and now I win the tournament here. Unbelievable!� �I played quite solid in the single elimination stage but I also had strong opponents�, added Mario He. �This is my second victory on the Euro-Tour and it is always so special to win this coveted event�, mentioned He with a smile.

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Result final match
Mario He (AUT) v Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz (ESP) 9:2

Results semi-finals
Albin Ouschan (AUT) v Mario He 8:9
Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz v Joshua Filler (GER) 9:7

Results quarter-finals
David Alcaide (ESP) v Albin Ouschan 7:9
Mario He v Marco Teutscher (NED) 9:4
Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz v Nick van den Berg (NED) 9:5
Joshua Filler v Imran Majid (GBR) 9:2

Top eight players Dynamic Billard Austrian Open
1. Mario He
2. Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz
3. Albin Ouschan
Joshua Filler
5. David Alcaide
Marco Teutscher
Nick van den Berg
Imran Majid

Top Ten EPBF Euro-Tour Ranking
1. David Alcaide 2620pts
2. Mario He 2375pts
3. Joshua Filler 2350pts
4. Niels Feijen 2290pts
5. Nick van den Berg 2250pts
6. Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz 2190pts
Ralf Souquet 2190 pts
8. Mark Gray 2090pts
Albin Ouschan 2090pts
10. Ruslan Chinakhov 2080pts

The Dynamic Billard Austrian Women�s Open have also commenced today. #1 seeded player Kristina Tkach (RUS) justified her seed and took down Ewa Bak (POL) 7:3 and then Jessika Nilsson (SWE) 7:0 even. These two clear victories got her in the single elimination round of the last 16 players where she will face Marharyta Fefilava (BLR). Another favoured player is always Amalia Matas (ESP). She performed quite strong today and won her matches 7:2 over Pia Blaeser (GER) and 7:3 over Sara Rocha (POR). She will join Tkach in the single elimination and will have to deal with Nataliya Seroshtan (RUS) in the next round.

All-time favourite in European women�s events Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) wasted no time with her opponents today. She smashed Anne Darda (GER) 7:0, then Kateryna Polovinchuk (UKR) 7:2 and finally Martine Christiansen (NOR) 7:1 for her seat in the single elimination round. All three opponent�s points added would not have made Ouschan lose one single set! Her opponent in the next match will be Ana Gradisnik (SLO). Katarzyna Wesolowska (POL) had finished 3rd place in the last 3 Women�s Euro-Tour events in Treviso (2x) and Albufeira. This time, she is up for more. She overpowered Ortenzia Haefliger (SUI) 7:3 and Ann-Sofie L�fgren (SWE) 7:3 to make it to the final stage of the event. She will be up against Yvonne Ullmann (GER) in her next match.

Last 16 Single elimination
Kristina Tkach (RUS) v Marharyta Fefilava (BLR)
Amalia Matas (ESP) v Nataliya Seroshtan (RUS)
Claudia von Rohr (SUI) v Veronika Ivanovskaia (GER)
Ine Helvik (NOR) v Sara Rocha (POR)
Katarzyna Wesolowska (POL) v Yvonne Ullmann (GER)
Jasmin Ouschan (AUT) v Ana Gradisnik (SLO)
Melanie Suessenguth (GER) v Birgit Heidorn (GER)
Tina Vogelmann (GER) v Louise Furberg (SWE)

Tomorrow, the Dynamic Billard Austrian Women�s Open in Alpina Wellness & Sports Hotel, St. Johann i.Pg., Austria, will continue at 10:00 CET with matches from the last 16 players single elimination.

Every day, one match from the event will be shown LIVE on the Facebook page of the EPBF. All Facebook users may check out the high standard of quality which is provided for all the events and see what the Kozoom members receive all the time. You can see all the matches on up to 20 tables live via www.kozoom.com who stream the whole event on the internet LIVE. The FB live matches are announced on the EPBF Facebook page around noon every day. Results and schedule can be found at www.eurotouronline.com so why not come and check out all the LIVE action of the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open.

The events are hosted by the European Governing Body for Pool, the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF) and organized by International Billiard Promotion (IBP). For further information and reference please go to the federation website www.epbf.com, visit us on Facebook or check out our youtube channel for regular news clips or contact our press office press@epbf.com.

FRIDAY 19 MAY 2017

Daryl Peach (GBR)
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Peach ousted Kazakis in epic thriller

Daryl Peach (GBR) has ousted Alexander Kazakis (GRE) at the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open in Alpina Wellness & Sports Hotel, St. Johann i.Pg., Austria. In the single elimination round of the last remaining 32 players, Peach took down Kazakis with 9:7.

After 8 racks, Kazakis had a 6:2 lead over Peach. Things were looking quite promising for Kazakis but Peach is known to be a Terrier with regards to fighting. He kept his foot in the door and fought his way back into the match. When Kazakis took his timeout, the scoreboard displayed still a 6:5 lead for him. But Peach could not be distracted from his mission. After Kazakis� timeout, Peach continued where he stopped before and took the next two racks, now leading 7:6 over Kazakis. The Greek managed to tie the match at 7:7 then. He broke the 15th rack and had the 1-ball pocketed. Kazakis played a great safety shot on the 2-ball, leaving a tough position for Peach who had to execute a jump-shot and hit the 2-ball rail first which he did. But Peach left an easy shot on the 2-ball for Kazakis. The Greek now had all chances to get on the hill with an open table in front of him. But he fell out of position for the 5-ball and missed it in the corner pocket. Peach got to the table and accepted the gift, taking the rack to gain an 8:7 lead over Kazakis. The next break was up for Daryl Peach. He had the 1-ball and 2-ball down but the 3-ball was hiding behind the 9-ball. Peach went for the push-out option. Kazakis accepted the table and tried an aggressive shot on the 3-ball. He missed but was lucky since he left no shot for Peach. Some safeties were exchanged and Kazakis was forced to play a foul shot. That gave Peach ball in hand and the Brit cleared the table to advance to the round of the final 16 players tomorrow, wending Kazakis home.

Tomorrow�s line-up for the last 16 players:
David Alcaide (ESP) v Francisco Sanchez-Pizarro (ESP)
Albin Ouschan (AUT) v Ruslan Chinakhov (RUS)
Mario He (AUT) v Daryl Peach (GBR)
Marco Teutscher (NED) v Niels Feijen (NED)
Konstantin Stepanov (RUS) v Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz (ESP)
Jakub Koniar (SVK) v Nick van den Berg (NED)
Fedor Gorst (RUS) v Joshua Filler (GER)
Imran Majid (GBR) v Mats Schjetne (NOR)

Earlier today, in the loser�s qualification round a dramatic finish happened in the encounter between Denis Grabe (EST) and Sanjin Pehlivanovic (BIH). At hill-hill, Pehlivanovic came up with a massive break shot. Two balls went in the pockets and the object balls were spread quite nicely all over the table with no problems to be on the horizon. However, Pehlivanovic lost control over the cue ball and it turned out that the cue ball was lying between the jaws of the upper right corner pocket. The 2-ball was possible but the shot was very hard, especially in that situation. Hi fired it into the center of the lower left corner pocket. The cue ball again was not controlled enough and ended its journey behind the 8-ball which totally prevented Pehlivanovic from continuing and doing something useful with the 3-ball which was up next. He went rail first and hit the 3-ball but left a tough shot for Grabe. The Estonian went for the safety option and played a decent defensive shot. Pehlivanovic answered that with another defensive shot himself. Safeties were played back and forth. After a few turns, Grabe forced Pehlivanovic to commit a foul. Grabe got to the table and ran the rack, leaving a frustrated and angry young Pehlivanovic behind.

Loser�s round 4 was the stage for a huge upset to take place. Unheralded Vangelos Vettas (GRE) ousted former World Champion Ralf Souquet (GER) clearly with 9:5 and ended the German�s hopes for a high finish here in St. Johann i.Pg. this year.
One thrilling encounter was the match in the winner�s qualification round between Daryl Peach (GBR) and Albin Ouschan (AUT). The match boiled down to a hill-hill situation at 8:8. Albin Ouschan was to break. He pocketed the 5-ball and had a beautiful and easy layout with a nice 1-ball to start with in front of him. But he missed the 1-ball by a margin and allowed Peach back to the table. The Brit who had probably already accepted his defeat, could not believe his luck. He got to the table and cleared the rack, winning the match 9:8 and advancing to the single elimination stage of the last 32 players.

Daryl Peach on Facebook after his victory over Albin Ouschan: �Here at Austrian Eurotour. Just qualified through to last32 straight KO on winners side. Had a bye first round then wins of 9-6, 9-3, and just came through an epic battle with Albin Ouschan 9-8 and played very solid...so I'm pleased with my form, especially leading up to World cup of Pool next month.�

In the same round, Mateusz Sniegocki (POL) and Nikos Ekonomopoulos (GRE) had a rendez-vous. They also took the match to the deciding 17th rack at 8:8 with Ekonomopoulos having the break shot there. No ball was pocketed which brought Sniegocki to the table. The Polish attempted to pocket the 1-ball but missed it, leaving no position for Ekonomopoulos. A few safeties were exchanged until Ekonomopoulos saw the chance to pocket the 1-ball with a long shot. He took the risk and pocketed the 1-ball. That brought him in a good position and he ran the rack, winning the match 9:8 over Sniegocki.

Tomorrow, the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open in Alpina Wellness & Sports Hotel, St. Johann i.Pg., Austria, will continue at 09:00 CET with matches from the first round in the women�s event. At 10:00, the open event will continue with matches from the last 16 players single elimination.

THURSDAY 18 MAY 2017

Stephan Cohen (left) and Ralf Souquet
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Cohen sneaked past Souquet at Dynamic Billard Austrian Open

In a dramatic winner�s round 1 match at the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open in Alpina Wellness & Sports Hotel, St. Johann i.Pg., Austria, between the two grandmasters Ralf Souquet (GER) and Stephan Cohen (nothing), Cohen remained the upper hand and bested Souquet by a whisker with 9:8.

The first half of the match belonged to Souquet. The German dominated at the table and Cohen struggled to get going. After 13 racks, Souquet was on the hill leading 8:5 over Cohen. At that point in time, the odds for Cohen were close to zero. But Cohen came back. He took some racks an the pressure was on for Souquet. With Souquet being in the lead 8:6, both players went for a time-out. When they got back to the table, it seemed to have worked better for Cohen. The frenchman took the next two racks and turned the match into a hill-hill thriller at 8:8. Rack 17 was won by Cohen who had managed to turn the tide in the match and performed a marvellous comeback in the tournament. With this victory, Cohen marched on into the next winner�s round where he overpowered Kim Laaksonen (FIN) 9:4. Cohen has booked his seat in the winner�s qualification round while Souquet needs to find his fortune on the loser�s side of the event.
#1 ranked player on the Euro-Tour ranking is currently David Alcaide (ESP). The Spaniard needed to do some serious work today. In his first match, he just made it 9:8 over Miguel Silva (POR). The next round was not easier for the #1 player. He encountered Abdullah Al-Youssef (KUW) and needed another 9:8 victory over the full distance to get his foot in the door of the winner�s qualification round.
Silva�s teammate Joao Grilo (POR) was a bit luckier today. He faced local hero Mario He (AUT) in winner�s round 1 and took the Austrian down unexpectedly clear with 9:4.

Today seemed to be not a good or easy day for the top ranked Euro-Tour players. Alcaide won his two matches with 9:5. #2 ranked player Joshua Filler (GER) lost 8:9 to Sergey Lutsker (RUS). �I did not have a break shot at all�, commented Filler after the match, �my break simply wasn�t there. That was the main reason for my defeat�. Also long time ranking leader and current #3, Mark Gray (GBR) could not make it through the winner�s side today. After defeating Piergiovanni Davy (ITA) 9:1, he fell 8:9 to unheralded Mariusz Skoneczny (POL).

Probably the most surprising comeback of the day was performed by dark horse Thomas Fjaeran (NOR). The Norwegian was trailing 1:8 after 30 minutes to Mieszko Fortunski (POL), the winner of the Dynamic Billard Italian Open in February 2016. Things looked over for Fjaeran. But the Scandinavian hung in there and started his amazing comeback. Never looking back, Fjaeran took it step by step and managed to realise the impossible, winning the match with 9:8 over a devastated Mieszko Fortunski!

Today�s feature match which was broadcasted LIVE on the EPBF Facebook page was the clash in winer�s round 2 between Denis Grabe (EST) and Oliver Ortmann (GER). The match went up and down. In the beginning, Ortmann looked like the clear winner, taking a 4:1 lead after five racks. But grabe came back.

Additionally, Ortmann�s break shot left him and no wonder Grabe managed to close the gap and even overtake Ortmann, leading 6:4 after the next five racks. However, Ortmann survived that critical phase and found his game back, taking the next racks and getting on the hill at 8:7. Grabe played a safety in rack 16 which was not good enough for Ortmann. The former World Champion from Germany went ahead and cleared the rack, winning the thrilling match with 9:7 over Denis Grabe.

Tomorrow, the Dynamic Billard Austrian Open in Alpina Wellness & Sports Hotel, St. Johann i.Pg., Austria, will continue at 09:00 CET with matches from loser�s round 2.

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