Richard Wienold dominates the Patricks Royal Classic – and thrills with century breaks.

High-class snooker and thrilling duels at the Int. 16th Patricks Royal Classic

Three days of snooker at the highest level – that was the 16th Int. Patricks Royal Classic, which took place last weekend at Patricks Rankweil.¹ The First Royal Snooker Club Austria was delighted to welcome a strong field of participants, including several national champions from Germany, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

¹ Rankweil is a town in Austria.

Players from Canada, Italy, and Mongolia were there, as were many players from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. As in previous years, the playing conditions were excellent and the atmosphere was focused but friendly, in keeping with the style of a worthy classic.

Group stage without any big surprises

In the preliminary round, everything went according to plan at first: the favorites prevailed and the group stage did not produce any major surprises. However, as soon as the knockout phase began, it became clear that this tournament would not be a routine affair.

A banging start to the final rounds

The round of 16 started with a real bang: the two very likeable top favorites, Richard Wienold (GER) and Denys Khmelevskyi (UKR), faced each other directly. Khmelevskyi never really got into the game, while Wienold demonstrated his class right from the start with a century break – he won the match in an intimidating and effective manner.

Alongside Wienold, other international players also shone with strong performances. Particularly noteworthy are Querkinaj Fidan (CAN), Namsrein Nasanbat (MGL), and the strong snooker elite from Italy, Guerra Tiziano, Marco Giuliano, Patrick Oberkofler, Massimiliano Sabetta, and never to be underestimated, Stefano Bazzana, who runs the 15 Palle in Bolzano. All of them made it to the quarter-finals. From a Swiss perspective, Losi Marvin and Friedli Mario were highly rated. The Austrian snooker elite was more than ably represented by Paul Schopf.

Diana Stateczny, multiple German champion, had to fight hard in every match, but showed impressive nerves. Manuel Ederer (GER), on the other hand, left no doubt that he wanted to win the tournament until the semi-finals, when Richard Wienold stopped him with a confident 3-0 victory in just over an hour.

Thriller in the second semifinal

The second semifinal was a real highlight: Stateczny Diana (GER) and Querkinaj Fidan (CAN) fought a thrilling duel, which the German champion won 3-1. It was a snooker thriller in which every ball counted.

A dramatic final: Wienold vs. Stateczny

In the all-German final, Richard Wienold and Diana Stateczny faced each other. Wienold made it clear right away where the match was headed, taking the first frame 73-15. But Stateczny showed fighting spirit and countered with two frame wins in a row.

With the score at 2:2, everything was still to play for – until Wienold turned up the heat once again in the decisive frame. With a clear 73:13 victory, he secured the title and was crowned winner of the 16th Patricks Royal Classic.

High praise for the organizer

A big compliment goes to the First Royal Snooker Club Austria, which organized the tournament perfectly. The quality of the event was reflected not only in the games, but also in the digital setting: The live stream reached over 350 simultaneous viewers in the final – a nice thank you from the snooker community for a first-class tournament.

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