Mr Bhupen Surani, Chairman of the J B‧GROUP (L), and Mr Jatin Chutke, Vice President of the J B (R)‧GROUP to present the "JB‧GROUP's Golden Racquet Award" to Singles Champion Venus Williams
 

The J B • GROUP Classic stands to go down as the most successful tennis event in Hong Kong’s history. The event, which attracted six of the world’s top 11 stars, has exceeded previous records for ticket sales.

"It's a sign of the desire of the people of Hong Kong to see these stars compete, and the crowds have contributed enormously to a thoroughly enjoyable event,” he added. The tournament has also been hailed as an unqualified success by the J B GROUP, the Hong Kong-based multinational, who took on the role of Title Sponsor for the first time to celebrate 15 years of growth and expansion from their base in the SAR. .

The tournament’s status was boosted this year by superstars Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams announcing that they were using the J B • GROUP Classic as their final warm-up for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.

"Both Venus and Maria have said how much they’ve enjoyed themselves this year,” said Wade. the President of the Hong Kong Tennis Patron’s Association who organize the tournament.

"In fact the overall atmosphere has been excellent. The feedback we’ve had from the spectators, from the players, from everyone involved in the event has been so positive. There’s been an excellent “feel good" factor, which is a very important. It’s certainly something we can build on for 2009.”