Local Sporting Event Followed Closely Around the World via Twitter

Knoxville, Tenn. - December 2, 2009 - Last month, the Knoxville Challenger brought together professional tennis players from across the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia. While this 6-day USTA event was held on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, the use of Twitter allowed people from around the world to follow the event live.

"Traditionally, the players' families, friends and fans could not follow the Knoxville Challenger because of the lack of international media coverage surrounding the event. With the advent of Twitter, the barriers have been broken down, and anyone with an Internet connection can follow the event via the live stream," said Brenna DeLeo, social media specialist a Pyxl, who was responsible for the Knoxville Challenger's live Twitter feed.

To ensure the feed would be as inclusive as possible, DeLeo spent all six days at the Knoxville Challenger, tweeting live scores and other event details as they happened.

Among the followers of the @KnoxChallenger live coverage was Taylor Dent's wife, WTA Tour player Jennifer Hopkins, said DeLeo.

Attendance at this year's Knoxville Challenger was also up dramatically over previous years, and approximately 500 people attended the event each day - which Tournament Director Howard Blum partially attributes to the marketing help given to him by Pyxl, including the live Twitter coverage.

"Allowing fans to follow the event live from their offices or homes during the day really helped to create a buzz and drive attendance during the big night matches," said Blum. "This was by far the best Challenger yet, and I am happy we were able to incorporate this unique new media into it!"

About Pyxl, Inc.

Founded in 2000, Pyxl, Inc. (formerly Image Communications, Inc.) specializes in delivering high-quality online marketing services in the areas of strategy, online branding, campaign management, social media, public relations, graphic design and web development. Pyxl combines business expertise with award-winning creative genius to deliver marketing solutions that produce results. Contact Pyxl at 865-690-5551 or visit www.thinkpyxl.com for more information.

About the Knoxville Challenger

The Challenger Series is a part of the USTA's Pro Circuit series which is designed to provide opportunities to aspiring young American tennis prodigies to advance to the top levels of the game. The three current top-ranked American players, Andy Roddick, James Blake and Mardy Fish all competed in the Knoxville Challenger as they were climbing the world rankings. These Challenger level events, hosting national and international players, take place all around the globe and typically include players ranked between 75 and 250 in the world. These pros will compete for a total purse of $50,000 in prize money and for ATP ranking points. Visit www.knoxchallenger.com for more information.