Nineteen of Daniil Medvedev's twenty-one titles have been achieved on hard courts
A resurgent Daniil Medvedev claimed his first title for nearly 30 months with success over Frenchman Moutet in the Almaty Open championship match.
Medvedev, a former number one, has experienced a challenging season, winning just a single victory at the Grand Slams and suffering a meltdown at the US Open.
His inconsistency on the professional circuit - and struggles with his service game in specific - caused him exiting of the top ten and finally parting ways with long-term coach Gilles Cervara.
Now collaborating with Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, he has gradually progressed in the recent weeks - peaking in a closely contested 7-5 4-6 6-3 win over challenger Moutet.
It is Medvedev's maiden championship after the 2023 Rome Masters and initial on a hard surface from March of 2023.
Victory also indicates the Russian has secured 21 titles at 21 different competitions.
"For the first time I'm at a event with my children at once, so to secure a title is particularly special," commented world number 14 Daniil Medvedev.
"This championship is in honour of my child Victoria, because the maiden victory I got when my older daughter my daughter was born was for her."
The tennis star, the past champion, had lost his past six championship matches, including in the German tournament in the past months.
The player's retrieving play style and recurring outbursts on court had led observers to question if his capacity to perform at the highest level was concluded.
But the 29-year-old has made changes in the last few weeks, making an effort to approach the net and play positively, backed up by an improved serving game.
The champion fought back from a deficit in the first set against the difficult Moutet, securing 4 of the concluding five points to go ahead.
The pair exchanged service breaks in the second set before Moutet, bidding for his initial ATP Tour championship, seized the initiative to push for a decider.
He saved 4 early chances in a tight deciding set before the champion won the break to 15 to close out the victory.
Appropriately, the winner secured the title with a shot at the front of the court, with Moutet unable to manage a shot after two hours and 38 minutes.
