Nineteen of Daniil Medvedev's 21 titles have been earned on hardcourt
A resurgent Medvedev claimed his maiden championship for nearly 30 months with a win over Corentin Moutet in the Almaty Open final.
The athlete, a former world number one, has experienced a challenging year, winning just one win at the big events and suffering a difficult moment at the New York tournament.
Medvedev's varied form on the professional circuit - and struggles with his service game in specific - resulted in him dropping out of the elite rankings and ultimately splitting with long-term trainer his previous coach.
Currently training with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, he has consistently progressed in the last few weeks - peaking in a tightly fought competitive triumph over Frenchman Moutet.
It is the player's initial championship following the 2023 Rome Masters and first on a hard surface after that period of the previous year.
The win also signifies he has achieved twenty-one titles at 21 different competitions.
"It's the first time I'm at a competition with my two daughters at once, so to win a trophy is especially meaningful," commented tennis professional Daniil Medvedev.
"This title is in honour of my younger daughter her name, because the initial championship I achieved when my older daughter my daughter was born was for her."
Medvedev, the former major winner, had failed in his past six title deciders, featuring in the German tournament in the past months.
Medvedev's retrieving play style and regular reactions on the playing surface had prompted observers to question if his skill to play at the top level was finished.
Yet the athlete has implemented adjustments in the last few weeks, making an effort to come to the net and compete assertively, reinforced by an better serving game.
The champion fought back from a deficit in the opening set against the tricky opponent, winning 4 of the final five exchanges to take the lead.
Both players swapped service breaks in the second set before the challenger, bidding for his first ATP Tour title, took control to push for a decider.
The opponent defended 4 early chances in a competitive deciding set before the Russian secured a break to 15 to serve for the match.
Appropriately, the winner earned the title with a rally at the net, with Moutet failing to control a shot after two hours and 38 minutes.
