Nineteen of Daniil Medvedev's 21 titles have been earned on hardcourt
A comeback Daniil Medvedev secured his first championship for nearly 30 months with victory over Frenchman Moutet in the Almaty Open final.
The Russian, a ex- number one, has had a torrid season, winning just a single victory at the major tournaments and experiencing a setback at the New York tournament.
The player's varied form on the professional circuit - and issues with his service game in particular - led to him exiting of the top ten and finally splitting with former mentor Gilles Cervara.
Now collaborating with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, he has consistently improved in the past month - peaking in a closely contested 7-5 4-6 6-3 victory over challenger Moutet.
This represents Medvedev's first trophy since the 2023 Rome Masters and maiden on a hardcourt after spring of that year.
The win also signifies Medvedev has won twenty-one titles at 21 different events.
"For the first time I have attended a event with my both daughters simultaneously, so to win a championship is really nice," commented ranked player the champion.
"This victory is in dedication of my child Victoria, because the first title I got when my first daughter my daughter was born was for her."
The athlete, the former major winner, had failed in his previous six title deciders, comprising in the German tournament in the past months.
His defensive play style and recurring reactions on the playing surface had prompted some to wonder if his ability to play at the highest level was concluded.
Yet the player has made changes in the last few weeks, attempting to approach the net and compete positively, backed up by an better serve.
He recovered from a disadvantage in the initial set against the challenging opponent, taking four of the final five points to go ahead.
The competitors swapped service breaks in the middle set before the challenger, bidding for his maiden ATP Tour title, seized the initiative to push for a third set.
He saved four early break points in a tight third set before Medvedev won the break to fifteen to serve for the match.
Appropriately, the winner secured the win with a shot at the net area, with the Frenchman incapable to manage a shot after over two and a half hours.
