2nd Annual Charity Davis Cup Doubles Tournament Summary: Over $3k Raised for 16 Different Charities

On Sunday, June 4th, the 2nd Annual Charity Davis Cup Doubles Tournament was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Organized by Guy Judkowski and Jordan Talasnik, 16 doubles teams each paid an entry fee and selected a charity of their choice to represent in the tournament. The tournament used a Compass Draw format with the first-round results determining whether a team entered the East or West Bracket. The winner of each bracket played in the overall Finals, deciding which team would hold bragging rights as the 2017 Champion. There were no losers, however, as each team played 4 one-set matches with every victory earning $84 for the winning team’s charity. In sum, the event raised $3200 for 16 different charities.

Last year, Jon and Jim Simone, representing Little Smiles, were the 2016 Champions, but due to injuries, the Simone duo sat out this year’s event. There was, however, no shortage of talent in this year’s event. Ageless Joel Luber and Temple University tennis sensation Vladimir Dorash (3rd and 4th in Photo), representing the Israel Tennis Centers Foundation, were this year’s winners, defeating Upper Dublin Mini Thon, represented by Todd Dratch and David Epstein, 6-2 in the Finals. Israel Tennis Foundation received a check for $336 as a result of Joel and Vladimir’s efforts while Upper Dublin Mini Thon received a check for $252.

Other notable winners during the day were Mitzvah Circle Foundation (represented by Mark Greene and Ish Lahlou), The Moyer Foundation (Jeff Jubelirer and Gonzalo Larrazabal) and Simon’s Fund (Neal Ruttman and Eric Shubin). Each of these teams won 3 out of 4 matches; thereby, earning $252 for their respective charities. Every other charity received a check for either $84 or $168, depending on the day’s results. The other participating teams and their represented charities were as follows: Foundation for Breast and Prostate Health (Jordan Talasnik & Evan); Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (Dan Shurman & Olivier Chateau); PhilAbundance (Dennis Lee & Steve Thomas); NY Public Radio (Richard Brail & Kenny Rosenberg); ARC of Delaware County (Adam Simon & Kevon Glickman); American Red Cross (Mike Weidinger & Josh Dunaief); Southern Poverty Law Center (David Rappaport & Ty Aguillard);Autism Society (Chan Kang & Viet Trinh); National Domestic Violence Hotline (Dan Feith & Guy Judkowski); Brinker's Operation Christmas Baskets (Jack Brinker & Evan Berson); Legacy Youth Tennis & Education (Nick Walton & Peter Mihaly).

We would like to thank Legacy Youth Tennis and Education for allowing us to host our event at their beautiful venue. Legacy not only provided us a great venue, but also entered a team, represented by Nick Walton and his sidekick, 14-year old phenom Peter Mihaly. Legacy creates opportunities for young people, especially those from under-resourced families and communities, to achieve success as individuals and as active, responsible citizens through innovative tennis, education, life skills, and leadership development programming in neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia and at their state-of-the-art Center.