Home Hopes
With just two days to go before the start of the 2016 Paul Hunter Ladies Classic in Germany, today we profile some of the eight players who will be competing in a WLBS event on home soil for the first time in their careers…
Diana Stateczny
Bochum-based Diana Stateczny is perhaps the best known and certainly the most decorated German female snooker player, having won the German Championship on five occasions and made a tournament high break of 78.
Also a finalist at the European Championship in 2010, the 36-year-old enjoyed a strong performance at this year’s WLBS World Ladies Championship. Having progressed through her group with four wins from four, she then shocked fourth seed Maria Catalano with a 3-1 win to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
Christina Schneider
A talented American pool player, Christina Schneider will be competing in her first snooker tournament in Furth as she looks to take herself out of her comfort zone.
On the pool circuit she notably reached the semi-finals of the 2014 9-ball German Championship and plays regularly for BC Ludwigsburg. This week however snooker will be the challenge and she has stated that she is looking forward to meeting her fellow players from across the globe and seeing how her game matches up against them.
Ramona Kirchner
Something of a local hero at the Paul Hunter Ladies Classic, Ramona Kirchner plays for 1.BC Lechbruck and has a competition high break of 50.
Winner of the German Championship back in 2005, like Schneider she is looking forward to mixing with international players and to seeing how her standard compares to the other players in action in Fuerth.
Diana Schuler
Following a two-year stint based in England, Diana Schuler has recently moved back to Germany and perhaps has reason to look forward to the Paul Hunter Ladies Classic more than most.
Alongside her playing career, which has seen her compile a competition high break of 53 and reach the semi final of the European Team Championship 2013, the 35-year-old also acts as Marketing Director for the WLBS and has been instrumental in the organisation of the event.
At local level she plays for 1.SC Schwalbach and has the distinction of being included on the professional game’s 147 list, as she was the opponent when two-time world champion Mark Williams made his second career maximum in Rüsselsheim six years ago.
Completing the field
Completing the German contingent in Fuerth will be four relative newcomers to the scene:
Dorothee Rapp (Bielefeld)
Ingird Kuna (Berlin)
Tanja Ender (Fürth)
Steffi Henze (Stuttgart)
