Medvedev ends 882-day title drought with victory in Almaty
Daniil Medvedev won the trophy on Sunday against Corentin Moutet.
Daniil Medvedev, Almaty 2025 – © Andrey Udartsev for Almaty Open 2025
The wait must have felt endless for Daniil Medvedev! More than two years after winning the Rome Masters 1000, the Russian has finally returned to the winner’s circle this Sunday in Almaty. The No. 2 seed battled past France’s Corentin Moutet, the No. 8 seed, in three sets (7-5, 4-6, 6-3) at the Almaty Arena.
It’s the 21st title of his career, and remarkably, each has come at a different tournament. “I wasn’t super happy with the way I played at times, but a win always feels good,” Medvedev said after the match. “It means I was the stronger player in the key moments. It’s my 21st title in my 21st different tournament, the story continues!”
Medvedev got off to a rough start, losing his serve in the very first game of the match. On the ropes early, the Russian had to save two break points that would have left him down a double break, but he dug deep, clawed his way back, and broke Moutet to level at 4-4.
MEDVEDEV BACK IN THE ATP FINALS RACE
The set remained tight until 5-6, when Moutet cracked under pressure and dropped his serve again, smashing his racket in frustration. The outburst, however, seemed to refocus him. Just as in the opening set, the Frenchman broke Medvedev in the first game of the second and held firm this time to force a decider.
But Moutet couldn’t maintain the same intensity in the final set. Slightly off his earlier rhythm, he faced relentless pressure from Medvedev, who finally converted his sixth break point at 4-3 after missing five earlier chances. Serving for the match at 5-3, 30-all, the world No. 5 was rock solid, closing it out on his first match point.
It’s Medvedev’s second career win over Moutet in three meetings. Thanks to this strong week in Almaty, he climbs three spots in the ATP Race to No. 12, just 875 points behind the final qualifying position for the ATP Finals, currently held by Lorenzo Musetti.
Medvedev, ranked No 14, beat Australian qualifier James Duckworth (6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-2), Hungarian Fabian Marozsan (7-5, 6-2) and Australian Adam Walton (7-5, 7-6) in the previous rounds of the Almaty tournament.
Earlier in the tournament, Moutet, ranked No 41, beat American Alex Michelsen, the No 6 seed (7-5, 6-4), German Jan-Lennard Struff (6-4, 7-5), Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko (7-5, 6-3) and Australian qualifier Bernard Tomic (6-1, 7-6 (9)).
