Daniil Medvedev won his first ATP Tour title in over two years, defeating Corentin Moutet 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the Almaty Open final on Sunday. The victory ends an 882-day drought for the former world No. 1, whose last triumph came in Rome in May 2023. The win broke a difficult streak for Medvedev, who had lost his previous six finals, including the 2023 US Open and the 2024 Australian Open.
The final, which lasted nearly two and a half hours, saw Medvedev overcome Moutet, after two tightly contested sets. The 29-year-old Russian secured the break at 4-3 in the third set before closing out the match. Moutet saved four break points earlier in the decider but ultimately fell short in his third tour-level final, still seeking his maiden ATP title.
"It is great. I was not super happy with how I played in some moments of the match, but to win feels amazing," Medvedev said. "In the most important points I played good. The last game was incredible and I am happy to win the title." The win also marked a unique career milestone for the Russian: "It continues my funny story of 21 titles in 21 different cities."
This victory follows a tough season for Medvedev, who suffered early exits at all four Grand Slams and split with his long-time coach, Gilles Cervara. Since hiring new coaches Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke after the US Open, his form has improved, with semifinal appearances in Beijing and Shanghai. This win moves him up to 12th in the race for the year-ending ATP Finals.
Medvedev, ranked 14th in the world, dedicated the win to his family, who were in attendance. "I want to thank my family, my beautiful wife, my two daughters. It is the first time I have been at a tournament with my two daughters and wife together, so to get a title is really nice," he stated during the trophy ceremony. "I honour this title to my second daughter Victoria, because the first title I got when my first daughter Alisa was born was for her, so this one is for Victoria."