19 of Daniil Medvedev's twenty-one championships have been won on hard courts
A comeback Daniil Medvedev claimed his first championship for 882 days with success over Corentin Moutet in the Almaty Open championship match.
Medvedev, a ex- world number one, has had a torrid season, managing just one win at the Grand Slams and experiencing a setback at the American major.
Medvedev's varied form on the professional circuit - and issues with his serve in particular - caused him dropping out of the top ten and eventually separating with former mentor his previous coach.
Now working with his coach and his other coach, he has consistently improved in the last few weeks - culminating in a closely contested competitive victory over Frenchman Corentin Moutet.
This represents the player's initial championship following the 2023 Rome Masters and first on a hard court from March of 2023.
Success also signifies the Russian has won twenty-one titles at 21 different competitions.
"For the first time I am participating in a event with my two daughters together, so to get a title is particularly special," stated tennis professional Daniil Medvedev.
"This victory is in dedication of my younger daughter her name, because the maiden victory I got when my first daughter her name was delivered was for her."
The athlete, the former major winner, had failed in his past six finals, comprising in the German tournament in the past months.
His counter-punching play style and frequent emotional displays on the playing surface had prompted commentators to doubt if his skill to compete at the elite level was finished.
However the 29-year-old has altered his approach in recent weeks, making an effort to advance forward and compete aggressively, reinforced by an better serving game.
He came back from a disadvantage in the initial set against the challenging Moutet, winning 4 of the concluding five points to gain the advantage.
Both players swapped service breaks in the following set before the Frenchman, bidding for his initial professional victory, gained dominance to create a third set.
The opponent defended four initial break points in a competitive final set before the champion won the break to that score to serve for the match.
Appropriately, the winner clinched the win with a rally at the net, with his opponent failing to handle a volley after two hours and 38 minutes.
