Predator Euro Tour – Austrian Open Kicks Off in Style
St. Johann im Pongau, Austria — Under a bright alpine sky, the Predator Austrian Open got underway at the Hotel Alpina Alpendorf, marking the third stop of the six-event Predator Euro Tour series. The picturesque setting in the Austrian Alps welcomed 216 competitors in the Open Division, as three full rounds of play unfolded on day one.
🇩🇪 Germany in Force – Filler Opens with Authority
With 66 German players in attendance, all eyes were once again on the red-hot Joshua Filler, who is chasing his third straight Euro Tour title. Filler, a seven-time champion in his last nine Tour starts, opened his Austrian campaign with a commanding 9–2 win over Serbia’s Lazar Kostic.
“My game is actually good, but I wasn’t really there at the beginning—I was fighting with the table,” said Filler. “It’s kind of humid inside, so that made playing shape difficult, even on the TV table. Luckily, he made a couple of mistakes; otherwise, I could have lost.”
Filler added that while he’s capable of winning any event, luck and precision in execution—especially on the break—remain key:
“I just want to find my good game. I’ve played perfect matches this year and still lost, so anything can happen. We’ll see—maybe I can lift a third one in a row.”
🇦🇹 Local Hopes – Mario He Advances Smoothly
Among Austria’s 24-player contingent, hometown favorite Mario He put in a strong opening performance. He secured two convincing wins, first dispatching Dzmitry Hryb (POL) 9–4, then taking out veteran Jorge Tinoco (POR) 9–3. He will face rising Swedish talent Walter Laikre in Winner’s Round 2.
“It always feels good playing in Austria,” He said. “The matches were tough but I won them pretty easily. The scores didn’t tell the whole story. The weather could be better—I like it cloudy when I play—but I’m enjoying myself here.”
“Of course, the aim is to win, but I try not to think too much about that. I just want to play well and go deep.”
👏 What’s Next?
Friday sees the continuation of the Open Division with Winner’s Round 2 and One-Loss Round 2, starting at 9:00 AM local time.
The Women’s Predator Austrian Open—featuring 64 players—gets underway on Saturday at 9:00 AM, leading to a Sunday final at 17:00.
- Format: Races to 7 (double elimination), races to 9 (single elimination)
- Break System: Two-rack alternate break
📺 Live Streaming & Coverage
This season introduces a new streaming platform for all Predator Euro Tour and European Championships events.
📌 Tables 1 and 2 are streamed live via the Pro Billiard TV YouTube channel.
📊 For live scores, brackets, and tournament details, visit:
🔗 https://www.epbf.com/tournaments/eurotour/information/
🏆 EPBF Sponsors
- Predator Group
- Iwan Simonis Billiard Cloth
- Aramith Billiard Balls
- Longoni Cues
- Kamui Brand
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