Thousands of people flocked to the 17th Liverpool International Tennis Tournament and sponsor Williams BMW took the opportunity to launch its latest model. Tony McDonough reports

New Liverpool International Tennis Tournament sponsor Williams BMW utilised its link with the event to unveil the new BMW i8 Roadster to a Merseyside audience.

Thousands of people converged on Liverpool Cricket Club in Aigburth for the event which took place at the end of last week and over the weekend and saw Alessandro Gianessi and Corinna Dentoni complete an Italian clean sweep of the singles titles.

As well as being a magnet for tennis fans from across the Liverpool city region the tournament, now in its 17th year and organised by Northern Vision, is also one of the biggest corporate hospitality events in the local calendar.

And it was to this audience that Williams BMW was keen to show off the i8 Roadster, the centrepiece of a nine-strong selection of BMW cars the local car dealership showcased at the event.

Tony Crolla, head of business at Williams BMW Liverpool, said: “The North West debut of the BMW i8 Roadster at the Williams BMW Liverpool International Tennis Tournament, combined with a thrilling series of matches, generated a truly electrifying atmosphere.”

Other corporate backers of the tournament this year included MSB Solicitors, Verb Marketing and the Liverpool BID Company.