19 of Daniil Medvedev's 21 titles have been achieved on hard courts
A revitalized Daniil Medvedev claimed his maiden trophy for nearly 30 months with success over Corentin Moutet in the Almaty Open final.
Medvedev, a ex- world number one, has experienced a challenging season, achieving just one win at the major tournaments and undergoing a difficult moment at the American major.
The player's unpredictability on the professional circuit - and struggles with his serve in particular - resulted in him dropping out of the elite rankings and ultimately parting ways with long-term coach Gilles Cervara.
Currently training with Johansson and Rohan Goetzke, he has steadily progressed in the recent weeks - culminating in a tightly fought 7-5 4-6 6-3 win over opponent Corentin Moutet.
This marks his initial title since the Rome competition and first on a hard court from that period of that year.
Victory also signifies the Russian has secured 21 victories at 21 different events.
"For the first time I am participating in a tournament with my both daughters together, so to get a championship is really nice," stated tennis professional Daniil Medvedev.
"This championship is in honour of my second daughter her name, because the first title I won when my child her name was delivered was for her."
The tennis star, the former major winner, had failed in his previous six championship matches, including in Halle in the past months.
His counter-punching approach and regular reactions on the tennis court had caused some to question if his skill to compete at the highest level was finished.
But the 29-year-old has altered his approach in the last few weeks, making an effort to approach the net and compete assertively, supported by an improved serve.
He came back from a break down in the initial set against the tricky opponent, winning four of the concluding five points to take the lead.
The competitors traded breaks in the following set before the challenger, bidding for his first professional victory, seized the initiative to create a decider.
He rescued 4 initial break points in a competitive deciding set before Medvedev won the break to 15 to secure the win.
Suitably, he clinched the win with a rally at the net area, with the Frenchman unable to handle a shot after two hours and 38 minutes.
