JEDDAH, 14 April — Talented Anuja of DHL maintained his supremacy and was crowned the champion of the first LG Cup table tennis tournament after beating teammate Ashit Savarna in the singles final played at Al Hamra Sofitel Hotel here on Friday.

DHL also set a record by clinching all the three titles of the tournament — the Team Trophy, Doubles Trophy and the Singles Trophy. DHL was represented by Ashit and Anuja in all the matches.

The final and semifinals were played at the same venue on the same day before a big crowd who cheered every good smash of the players.

In-form Anuja showed no mercy when he met Ashit in the best-of-five final in which Anuja won three out of four. Ashit tried to become aggressive but was soon pushed back by Anuja who has professional experience and has represented Sri Lanka national side on various tours.

Earlier, Ashit of DHL defeated Ahmed Amir of Jeddah Inter.Continental Hotel in the first semifinal. Ashit had an easy win, as he beat Ahmed in straight sets and won the match.

The second semifinal was played between Anuja of DHL and Abdullah Mouri of Inter.Continental Hotel, in which Anuja won the match by beating Abdullah in straight sets.

It came as no surprise to the participants or the spectators who followed the LG table tennis tournament that DHL met DHL in the singles final. The prize distribution ceremony was held after the final which was attended by all participating teams and distinguished guests. The ballroom was filled with excitement and loud cheers were heard from time to time.

The ceremony was attended by numerous social and national figures such as Khaled Al-Maeena, the editor-in-chief of Arab News, Dr. Hemayun Jaffery, Azam and Akram Siddiki and Tameezuddin Mukri. The winners received their trophies from H. K. Seo, general manager, LG Electronics, Mounir Kurban, GM, United Yousef M. Naghi and Wael Hamadeh, Senior Marketing Manager of HG Ibrahim Shaker Company. The proceedings were conducted by LG Marketing Manager S.M. Arshad, the guiding force behind the event, in his inimitable style.

Earlier, the president of Jeddah Table Tennis League, Asadullah Ghalib, presented a report on the First LG Cup Table Tennis Tournament. He told the audience about the excellence of the tournament and the high level of interest. In response the general manager of LG Electronics delivered a speech in which he expressed his thanks and gratitude for the success of this tournament. He appreciated the quality of matches and promised a tournament on a larger scale next year.

H. K. Seo in his speech, told the audience that LG is committed to improvement and will keep trying for improved social participation. Next LG Table Tennis Tournament is expected to be on a national level, inviting teams from other provinces.

Runners-up trophy for the Team Event went to Electronics Workshop, which was represented by Mansoor Abdul Rehman and Raees Ahmed. Mansoor Abdul Rehman, an outstanding Saudi player, was also awarded the special prize for his outstanding performance. Special awards for support and outstanding performance were also given to Sudeep Apte, Fahim Khan and Syed Shah Alam.

Runners-up for the Doubles Trophy were Shafiq Ahmed and Julius Betos of Arabian Super Stores (Sarawat).

The prize distribution was followed by a lucky draw in which ten prizes were drawn for all the guests. First four lucky draws were conducted by Khaled Al-Maeena. Rest of the draws were made by managers from United Naghi, Ibrahim Shaker Co. and LG Electronics.

One of the outstanding features of the evening was an address by Khaled Al-Maeena in which he emphasized the importance of sports as a means to bring people together. He also spoke about Arab News’ involvement in sports and wished good luck to LG in their future endeavors.

Among distinguished guests, Khaled Al-Maeena and a young Saudi Yousef Siddiki were introduced to the audience. Yousef is the youngest CPA in the world, who went into Guiness Book of Records at 19 years of age. Asadullah Ghalib, President JTTL, presented a plaque of appreciation to the general manager of LG Electronics, H. K. Seo. Nadeem Khan and Nasir Mahmood of LGE administered the prize distribution and the lucky draw.