AVP:

Top seeds and Olympic gold medalists Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers were upset in a thrilling three-game final by second-seeded John Hyden and Sean Scott in the championship match of the AVP Crocs Tour Atlanta Open. On the women’s side, it was business as usual as top seeds Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs took home their fifth title in six tournaments on the 2009 AVP Crocs Tour. 

Scott and Hyden defeated the golden duo in a grueling hour and sixteen minute brawl. The final score was 21-14, 18-21, 19-17. 

“They’re the best team in the world,” Scott said. “It feels good to beat them the way we did.” 

To reach Sunday’s championship match, Hyden and Scott defeated fifth-seeded Brad Keenan and Nick Lucena, 21-12, 21-14. Sunday’s win was the duo’s first as a team.  

On the women’s side, Branagh and Youngs took out fourth-seeded Carrie Dodd and Dianne DeNecochea after a hard-fought three game final, 19-21, 21-19, 15-8. 

“Dianne [DeNecochea] gave us a lot of trouble today,” Youngs said. “She’s huge, the tallest woman on the Tour. But at 7-7 in the third game, we had it. The key is to not get complacent.” 

With Sunday’s victory, Branagh and Youngs now have a 35-1 match record when seeded number one on the AVP Crocs Tour and are 30-1 this season. Additionally, today’s win moved Youngs into seventh place on the all-time wins list, tied with former coach Liz Masakayan. 

Earlier in the day, Branagh and Youngs eliminated third-seeded Jenny Johnson Jordan and Annett Davis, 22-20, 21-12.