Tennis Fan Wins on Foursquare & Meets Maria Sharapova

© Sony Ericsson Open

Tennis Fan wins coin toss opportunity at Maria Sharapova’s match at the Sony Ericsson Open

Miami, Fla. (www.sonyericssonopen.com) Lucky Tiago Forte-Vaz won a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to send his children Tomas and Matilde to meet their tennis heroes Maria Sharapova and Sabine Lisicki on Stadium Court today at the Sony Ericsson Open tournament thanks to Sony Ericsson and foursquare.

Sony Ericsson, sponsor of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), and foursquare partnered in setting up the Sony Ericsson Open as the first fully foursquare integrated sports event ever. By checking in at specially designated venues at the tournament on their smartphones, the 300,000 fans that attend the event this year will unlock the Xperia Tennis Fan Badge and have the opportunity to redeem daily specials for the badge holders, receive discounts on tickets for selected sessions and win once in a lifetime coin toss competitions. Tennis fans can also access tips and match results for the duration of the tournament providing a more engaging experience for all attending the ‘Glam Slam’ of tennis.

Stephan Croix, Vice President Head of Global Marketing Partnerships, Sony Ericsson says: “The partnership with foursquare is a great way to reward tennis fans and engage with people through their smartphones. We think this is a fantastic way to build on the success of the Sony Ericsson Open and continue to find ways to improve the experience for tennis fans.

Maria Sharapova, Sony Ericsson’s brand ambassador, says: “I love the idea that Sony Ericsson and foursquare are giving fans the chance to become a key part of the game, rather than just being spectators. The Sony Ericsson Open is always an amazing tournament, so it seems natural that we give the fans the ultimate tennis experience here in Miami.”

For more information visit: www.sonyericssonopen.com and be sure to follow us on Foursquare http://foursquare.com/sonyericssonwta and check-in at the Sony Ericsson Open Tennis Hot Spot to unlock your Xperia Tennis Fan Badge.

ABOUT SONY ERICSSON: Sony Ericsson celebrates its 10th year as a joint venture between Sony Corporation and Ericsson in October, 2011. Over the years the company has brought together the best communication technologies with superior entertainment user experiences to create its Xperia™ line of the ‘most entertaining smartphones’ in the mobile handset industry. With its global corporate functions in London, Sony Ericsson has sales and marketing operations in all major regions of the world, as well as manufacturing in China, and product development sites in China, Japan, Sweden and Silicon Valley, California. For more information, please visit: www.sonyericsson.com/press.

ABOUT THE SONY ERICSSON OPEN: The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open will be played March 21-April 3 at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG and is widely regarded as the most glamorous event on the ATP and WTA drawing over 300,000 guests each year including the biggest names in music, entertainment and sports. The Sony Ericsson Open is one of nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series events and a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA, and features the top men's and women's tennis players in the world including defending champions Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters.  For ticket information, call (305) 442-3367 or visit the website at http://www.SonyEricssonOpen.com.

FOURSQUARE: Foursquare is an application that encourages people to explore new locations and rewards people with virtual badges and even discounts or special offers. Foursquare engages with mobile customers and those on the go who like to share what they are doing. Customers are rewarded for their loyalty by checking in. Used as a fan engagement channel, Foursquare also enables fans to check in at their favorite sporting events where they can share tips about their experience and read feedback to see what others say. check in to Foursquare on your mobile handset on arrival: www.foursquare.com.