THIRD ANNUAL PRIYANKA CUP TENNIS TOURNAMENT
TO BENEFIT MIAMI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
Miami, Florida – Karim Alibhai, founder and principal of Gencom Group, has announced that Gencom Group and Cliff Drysdale Tennis will once again partner to present the third annual Priyanka Cup tennis tournament and festivities for the weekend of October 24th-26th, 2008.
The Priyanka Cup has raised a total of $800,000 in previous years, and this year the event will benefit Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation.
"I am overwhelmed with the amount of support we’ve received over the year’s from both the community and the Tennis Legends who have donated their time and efforts," said Karim Alibhai. Alibhai has been involved in children’s advocacy for many years and the birth of his children has further ignited his passion to spearhead this event. Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation’s mission is to ensure that all children have access to state-of-the-art pediatric care, and Alibhai also serves on their Board of Directors.
The VIP weekend will begin Friday afternoon, October 24th, with a 2-hour VIP tennis clinic at South Florida’s premiere tennis venue - The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne Tennis Garden, followed by a Sponsor Welcome Dinner in South Beach. A Locals Pro-Am, an amateur tennis tournament for enthusiasts of all levels, will follow on Saturday morning October 25th. This tournament will be played at The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne Tennis Garden and pairs South Florida amateurs with Cliff Drysdale- trained tennis professionals.
The main event of the Priyanka Cup, the Legend Pro-Am Tournament will be held Saturday afternoon, October 25th, at The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne Tennis Garden. The tournament will pair the event’s Sponsors with 24 tennis Legends, to include Cliff Drysdale, Roy Emerson, Fred Stolle, and many more in a doubles tournament brimming with friendly competition. The tennis fest will conclude on Sunday October 26th, with the 2nd round of the Legends Pro-Am Tournament and an Awards Luncheon on the Grand Lawn of The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne. In addition to the tournaments, other festivities include an exclusive VIP Reception at The Grand Bay Club, Key Biscayne, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Invitees will participate in a "Beach Party Barbecue" as well as a silent and live auction.
“Feedback from leaders and celebrities in the tennis industry, sponsors and attendees has been extremely positive, and the Priyanka Cup is quickly becoming one of the premier annual tennis-driven charity events in the country,” stated Cliff Drysdale, President of Cliff Drysdale Tennis, after the noted success of previous years’ events.
For more information including Sponsorship and Schedule of Events please visit www.priyankacup.com or contact Michelle Kaatz, Event Manager at 305.361.3932, Ext. 304, m.kaatz@cliffdrysdale.com.
-About Gencom Group-
Founded in 1987 by Karim Alibhai, Gencom Group, an investment and development firm is a major player in the hospitality and related real estate industries. By aligning itself with prominent investors, Gencom has become one of the nation’s leading joint-venture investment enterprises, which has enabled the company to be involved in more than 10 luxury hotels and resorts with significant residential components for a total investment value of $6 Billion. Gencom currently has seven properties developed or under development in conjunction with Ritz-Carlton; and is developing the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve branded property in Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean, which will serve as the brand standard for future Reserve properties. With a strong market position already established in the United States, Canada, Mexico and now the Caribbean, Gencom is expanding its portfolio to include Europe. In early 2006, Gencom formed GenGate Europe with its frequent joint-venture partner Highgate Holdings to purchase a significant portfolio of four-star hotels in Europe. www.gencomgrp.com
-About Cliff Drysdale Tennis-
Founded in 2001 by tennis legend Cliff Drysdale and partners Don Henderson and Tom Brownhill, CDT specializes in tennis program development, daily tennis operations and management for resorts, hotels and private tennis clubs; sports design and construction consultation for companies interested in building world-class tennis facilities; unrivaled tennis educational programs, clinics and retreats; and resort, hotel corporate outing planning and leisure operations. CDT currently oversees the sports and leisure operations at the following prestigious resorts and clubs: The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, FL, The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, Mexico, The Grove Isle Resort and Spa at Grove Isle, Weston Tennis Center, Weston, FL., Brickell Tennis Club, Miami, FL., Naples Bay Resort, Naples, FL., West Bay Club, Estero, FL., and Southampton Racquet Club, New York.
-About Miami Children’s Hospital-
Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation (MCHF) is a charitable foundation whose sole mission is to create awareness and generate funds for Miami Children’s Hospital (MCH), the only licensed specialty hospital in South Florida exclusively for children. The Foundation’s guiding principle is to ensure that all children have access to state-of-the-art pediatric care. MCH features 289 pediatric and neonatal beds, more than any other children’s hospital in Florida, offers over 40 pediatric specialties and subspecialties and houses the largest children’s cancer center in the state with over 120 active clinic trials. For more information, visit www.mchf.org.