Nineteen of Daniil Medvedev's 21 titles have been earned on hard courts
A revitalized Daniil Medvedev secured his first trophy for nearly 30 months with success over opponent Moutet in the Almaty Open final.
Medvedev, a former number one, has endured a challenging season, achieving just one win at the major tournaments and experiencing a meltdown at the US Open.
His varied form on the ATP Tour - and difficulties with his serving in specific - led to him exiting of the top ten and finally splitting with long-time mentor his previous coach.
Presently working with his coach and his other coach, he has gradually advanced in the past month - culminating in a tightly fought 7-5 4-6 6-3 victory over opponent Moutet.
This marks his initial championship since the Rome competition and initial on a hard surface from spring of 2023.
Victory also signifies he has secured 21 championships at 21 distinct events.
"It's the first time I'm at a competition with my both daughters simultaneously, so to get a title is really nice," said ranked player Medvedev.
"This championship is in honour of my second daughter Victoria, because the first title I achieved when my first daughter my daughter was born was for her."
Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, had lost his last six championship matches, including in that event previously this season.
The player's counter-punching play style and frequent emotional displays on the playing surface had led commentators to question if his skill to perform at the top level was finished.
But the 29-year-old has altered his approach in the past month, making an effort to advance forward and play assertively, supported by an better serving game.
He recovered from a break down in the opening set against the challenging opponent, taking four of the final five exchanges to go ahead.
The competitors swapped service breaks in the second set before the challenger, striving for his initial tour victory, seized the initiative to create a decider.
He rescued four early-game chances in a close third set before Medvedev broke to that score to close out the victory.
Suitably, the winner secured victory with a rally at the net area, with Moutet failing to handle a return after over two and a half hours.
