19 of Daniil Medvedev's twenty-one championships have been achieved on hard surfaces
A comeback Daniil Medvedev won his initial trophy for nearly 30 months with victory over opponent Moutet in the Almaty Open title decider.
Medvedev, a ex- world number one, has endured a difficult year, managing just a single victory at the major tournaments and undergoing a difficult moment at the US Open.
His varied form on the ATP Tour - and struggles with his serving in particular - resulted in him dropping out of the world's top 10 and finally splitting with long-term mentor Gilles Cervara.
Now working with Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, Medvedev has steadily progressed in the recent weeks - peaking in a tightly fought 7-5 4-6 6-3 triumph over challenger Moutet.
This marks the player's initial championship following the 2023 Rome Masters and first on a hard court after that period of 2023.
The win also means the Russian has achieved twenty-one championships at 21 distinct tournaments.
"It's the first time I am participating in a event with my children simultaneously, so to win a championship is really nice," stated world number 14 the champion.
"This championship is in dedication of my second daughter Victoria, because the initial championship I got when my first daughter Alisa was born was for her."
Medvedev, the former major winner, had been defeated in his previous six title deciders, featuring in the German tournament in the past months.
His counter-punching play style and frequent outbursts on the playing surface had led observers to wonder if his skill to play at the top level was concluded.
But the athlete has implemented adjustments in the past month, making an effort to come to the net and compete aggressively, supported by an enhanced serve.
He recovered from a break down in the first set against the tricky Moutet, taking 4 of the concluding five points to go ahead.
Both players traded service breaks in the middle set before Moutet, striving for his maiden tour championship, seized the initiative to force a decider.
He rescued four initial chances in a competitive deciding set before the Russian secured a break to that score to serve for the match.
Suitably, he clinched victory with a shot at the net, with the Frenchman incapable to handle a return after over two and a half hours.
