Hot prof picks Bill over Brad

BRAD who? Rock star MIT professor Neri Oxman — who was reportedly being wooed by Brad Pitt — is still going strong with billionaire hedge funder Bill Ackman.

Oxman made a trans-Atlantic trip to Paris last weekend to see activist-investor beau Ackman compete in the Finance Cup — a tennis tournament in which former pro and top college players who now work full time in finance face off.

Alluring Oxman sat courtside cheering her boyfriend, and the pair seemed very much in love, we hear. They were openly affectionate, and attended a party for the tournament as a couple.

Joked a source, “Bill won his match, and has won the girl. Brad Pitt will need to up his ten- nis game — and his educational degrees — if he wants such a super impressive, highly intellectual woman.”

Ackman played in a doubles match with Jonathan Canter, once ranked No. 36 in the world. They beat an Italian former juniors-doubles champ, Alfredo Caturano, and former pro Rupert de Laszlo. Playing on the next court were former No. 1 doubles players Alex O’Brien and Richey Reneberg.

We hear there’s usually a heated rivalry between Ackman and Europe’s biggest activist investor, Christer Gardell — whose firm counts Carl Icahn as a backer. But this year Gardell was beaten by Jeffrey Appel, the in- vestment banker and tennis player, known as the “Mayor of New York Tennis,” who captains the US squad. The US won the cup.

Sniffed a European participant of Ackman’s game, “Bill is impressively good for a guy who didn’t even play tennis at university . . . but let’s just say his plane is more valuable to the US team than his backhand.” Either way, Oxman was by his side at a party at L’Arc, where she cheerfully posed for pics with Ackman, Gardell, Appel and guests Walter Dolhare, Jan Olsson, Tobias Hildebrand and Agnes Bradbury.

A source told us in April: “Brad is very interested in spending more time with Neri. She is fascinating.” It seems her court time is booked.