Sixth Annual R Baby Foundation Tennis Tournament Raises Close To $250,000

April 25, 2016 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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Photo credit: Sidney Beal III

Some of the finance industry’s biggest names came together to compete in a different venue on Saturday, April 16, competing in the sixth annual R Baby Foundation New York Tennis Tournament at MatchPoint NYC in Brooklyn.

The event was founded by Jason Pinsky of Table Management and co-hosted by Jeffrey Appel of Broadband Capital.

“Six years ago, I saw the foundation was doing a golf event, and I suggested that we should do a tennis event,” said Pinsky. “There are a lot of great tennis players in the area who work in the same industry. The first year was sort of a test and it went well, and the demand has been high ever since. We bring together a great group of competitive guys for a great cause.”

The event has been a success ever since. This year’s tournament, which included a Calcutta Auction beforehand, raised close to $250,000 towards the R Baby Foundation. The foundation began in 2006, when Andrew and Phyllis Rabinwoitz lost their daughter Rebecca at nine days old after she was misdiagnosed at a local Emergency Room. The foundation now partners with top children’s hospitals to train community hospital’s Emergency Rooms where most children are seen.

In the six years of the tournament, the event has raised nearly $1.5 million. That money helps fund programs at hospitals in the tri-state area including telemedicine with pediatric experts, mobile simulation training program, symposiums and much more.

“It really shows how generous these guys are,” said Phyllis Rabinowitz, who, along with her husband Andrew, created the R Baby Foundation. “They obviously love tennis, but they are also here to make the world a better place and give back. They do it time and time again. They donate a lot and they’re giving back while doing something they love.”

There were 20 doubles teams competing in the tournament, including some of Wall Street’s biggest names: Bill Ackman, Founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital, who partnered with Pinsky, a former standout at UPenn and #1 ranked junior player, David Einhorn, Founder and CIO of Greenlight Capital, who partnered with former champion and Division I college standout Brian O’Connor of insurance management firm, American Business.  Rob Pohly, the CIO of Samlyn Capital Management, who played with former Yale standout Marc Powers, Josh Targoff, COO of Third Point Capital, who teamed up with former American University player Jarred Snyder, Jeremy Mindich, Founder and CIO of Scopia Capital, who played with Head of West Rock Tennis Academy and Mexican Davis Cup co-Captain Adrian Contreras, Pershing Square Capital COO Tim Barefield, who played with former tour player and current hitting partner of the Bryan Brothers Georgy Chukhleb, Bruce Richards, Founder and CIO of Marathon Asset Management, who partnered with former tour player and current Financial Advisor for Morgan Stanley Thomas Blake, and Lawrence Penn, Co-Founder and President of Ellington Financial Group, who played with Jon Pastel, a former professional player and current Senior Salesman at Alliance Bernstein.

On the court, the tournament played host to some high-quality and competitive tennis. In the final, it was the defending champion Jeffrey Appel, who partnered with Adam El Mihdawy, defeating Rob Pohly and Marc Powers 6-3 in the finals.

“It was a long day of tennis and I picked a great partner in Adam who played well all day,” said Appel. “The event was a huge success again. We had a great group of people, the level of tennis was very high and everybody had a great time. We raised a lot of money for a charity that Jason and I are both passionate about.”

The tournament was made possible because of the generosity of the players and the graciousness of MatchPoint NYC and its Co-Founder Nino Muhatasov, who played in the tournament along with former Australian Open doubles champion Alona Bondarenko.

“They are great to work with,” said Darren Port, CEO of Powered by Professionals, who helped run the event. “Nino has been fantastic and the facility is incredible. He has really gone out of his way to invite us to work with them, and that has helped make the event really special in the two years we have had it here. The foundation does a great job in keeping its expenses low to ensure that the money raised goes towards the cause, and Matchpoint’s generosity helps make that possible.”

The New York Tennis Tournament continues to be one of the top tennis charity events around, and is one of the biggest and most successful events put on by the R Baby Foundation.

“This is one of the few events we do every single year,” said Katie McCulloch, the foundation’s Executive Director. “These guys love tennis and are committed to it, but it takes a certain level of generosity and special quality to come out on a Saturday morning. These are titans of their industry and have a lot of responsibility in their jobs, yet they continue to come out on a Saturday morning to support us. It’s a really special group.”


Scenes from the Sixth Annual R Baby Foundation New York Tennis Tournament

Credit Photos to Sidney Beal III and Jon Nissenbaum

David Einhorn sets up a backhand during the tournament.

The tournament's founder, Jason Pinsky, hits an acrobatic jumping shot.

The eight quarterfinal teams from the sixth annual R Baby Foundation New York Tennis Tournament. 

Jeff Appel fires a serve during his quarterfinal match. Appel and partner Adam El Mihdawy went on to win the tournament.

Bill Ackman sets up a forehand during his quarterfinal match. 


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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