9th February 2025
AFTER A FIVE year absence from the Predator Euro Tour, Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan returned to the fray in some style as she stormed to victory in the Longoni Italian Open, beating fellow Austrian Sandra Baumgartner by 8-3 at the host venue, the Best Western BHR Treviso Hotel. It was Ouschan’s 19th Euro Tour title, an incredible achievement which will take some beating.
Having also won the WPBA Olhausen Iron City Billiards Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama just seven days ago, her Euro Tour win cements a perfect start to what looks to be a packed 2025 for Ouschan. In all, she won seven times in Treviso to seal the title as she overcame some jetlag. Despite Baumgartner taking the opening rack, it was all Ouschan after that as she romped to victory
Commented Ouschan, “It was exhausting to be honest. A lot of matches especially in two days and I just came from America, so I was still a little jetlagged. I kind of had to pull through a little bit but it feels really good to be back.
“I’m so happy for Predator coming into the Euro Tour because we need some new energy on this tour and of course I want to support that so I’m definitely going to play more Euro Tours. Obviously, it’s started well for me so I’m going to try and keep going.
“Coming back from America is always the toughest jet lag to me so it’s really hard to get up in the morning and play at 10am but this my job; I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I know how to deal with it and I’m not complaining but I just have to understand that I really need to take care of my energy.
“So, I think I did a good enough job for this tournament and I think I can do even better with my performance. I won it, I won in America and, so far, season 2025 is going perfect for me!” she added.
Baumgartner’s second place finish was her best yet on the Predator Euro Tour and we can look forward to seeing her competing regularly on the European circuit.
She said, “I’m very happy about all my performances. I played some very good matches; not so much in the final but I’m still very happy about it. I’ve known Jasmin for a long time as we went to school together so we’ve known each other since we were six years old so we’ve played a lot of tournaments together and had a lot of matches. I decided to play all the Euro Tours and also the European Championships so I’ll be back.”
With the conclusion of the first Predator-sponsored event, JP Parmentier, Sports Marketing Director of the Predator Group, was more than happy, “The first Women’s EuroTour event of the year was a special one — not only because it marked the debut of the ARC Pool Table on this stage, but also because it saw Jasmin Ouschan make a powerful statement with her return to the winner’s circle.
“Jasmin has been part of the Predator family for years, and her dedication, professionalism, and passion for the sport embody everything we stand for. As the biggest investor in women’s pool, we are committed to creating more opportunities for female athletes and driving the growth of women’s cuesports worldwide. Seeing Jasmin lift the trophy on the ARC is a proud moment for us, and we look forward to continuing our mission to elevate the game for the next generation.”
Earlier in the day, the final of the eight-event EPBF Youth Tour Masters took place with Sweden’s Walter Laikre running out a 7-2 winner over Iavor Moreno (Spain) to the lift the trophy.
Earlier, 16-year-old Laikre enjoyed a terrific run at the Longoni Italian Open as he won five matches before going out in the last 16 at the hands of Alex Kazakis. He carried that form into the Youth Masters and was delighted with his efforts this week.
Commented Walter, “It was a nice win; I played good all the week. It’s really nice to win this tournament after a good performance in the Euro Tour. I’ve been happy with my game in every match here. I have European Championships coming up for the men’s and a couple of Euro Tours so I’ll see how I go. I couldn’t have done much better this week so nothing to complain about!”
This year sees a new streaming platform for all Euro Tour and European Championships events and going forward, matches will be streamed throughout on YouTube, via the Pro Billiard TV channel - ]https://www.youtube.com/@ProBilliardTV
For all results, live scoring and draw, visit https://www.epbf.com/tournaments/eurotour/information/
The Predator Euro Tour Series is the world's longest-running pool tour. Sanctioned by the EPBF, there are six events annually on the calendar and all tournaments are played on Predator ARC tables, covered with Simonis 860 cloth, using Aramith Duramith balls. Additional sponsors are Kamui Chalk and Longoni Cues.
The host sponsor at the Longoni Italian Open is the Best Western Premier BHR Treviso Hotel
From EPBF official press release.