Resurgent Medvedev wins first title for 882 days
A resurgent Daniil Medvedev claimed his first title for 882 days with victory over Corentin Moutet in the Almaty Open final.
The Russian former world number one has had a torrid year, winning just one match at the Grand Slams and suffering a meltdown at the US Open.
Medvedev's inconsistency on the ATP Tour – and struggles with his serve in particular – led to him dropping out of the world's top 10 and ultimately splitting with long-time coach Gilles Cervara.
Now working with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, Medvedev has steadily improved in the past month – culminating in a hard-fought 7-5 4-6 6-3 victory over Frenchman Moutet.
It is Medvedev's first title since the 2023 Rome Masters and first on a hard court since March of that year.
Victory also means Medvedev has won 21 titles at 21 different tournaments.
"It's the first time I'm at a tournament with my two daughters together, so to get a title is really nice," said world number 14 Medvedev.
"This title is in honour of my second daughter, Victoria, because the first title I got when my first daughter Alisa was born was for her."
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Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, had lost his past six finals, including in Halle earlier this year.
His defensive play style and frequent outbursts on court had led some to wonder if his ability to compete at the top level was over.
But the 29-year-old has made changes in recent weeks, making an effort to come to the net and play aggressively, backed up by an improved serve.
He came back from a break down in the first set against the tricky Moutet, winning four of the final five games to take the lead.
The pair exchanged breaks in the second set before Moutet, bidding for his first ATP Tour title, took control to force a decider.
Moutet saved four early break points in a tight third set before Medvedev broke to 15 to serve for the match.
Fittingly, Medvedev secured victory with a point at the net, with Moutet unable to control a volley after two hours and 38 minutes.
