Everything is ready for the ATP 250 Almaty Open final, to be played this Sunday, October 19th, at Almaty Arena. It marks
Daniil Medvedev's return to his second final of the season. The former World No. 1 will be the favorite against the eccentric Frenchman
Corentin Moutet, who is seeking his first professional title.
The 2021 US Open champion is looking to claim another title, which would be his 21st professional title and 9th at an ATP 250 level. He defeated James Duckworth in three sets in the semi-finals, while Moutet—who is in the third final of his career—comes from eliminating the young American Alex Michelsen.
Medvedev's two-year title wait
For a while now, Daniil Medvedev has lost prominence on the Tour and has struggled to go deep in the tournaments he plays. After being one of the most consistent players on the tour for several years, accumulating a total of 20 titles in 39 finals played, the Russian has dropped in the rankings and currently sits at World No. 18, besides having only played one final so far this year—a defeat to Alexander Bublik at the Halle Open four months ago.
Medvedev had been showing great form in the Asian Swing, reaching the semi-finals at the China Open and Shanghai Masters. Upon his arrival in Almaty, he has capitalized on his favorite status to advance rounds without too many complications, with victories over Adam Walton (7-5, 7-6), Fabian Marozsan (7-5, 6-2), and James Duckworth (6-7, 6-3, 6-2).
This will be a great opportunity for Medvedev to lift a title for the first time in over two years, with his last win coming at the Rome Open back in May 2023. Since then, the Russian has fallen in six consecutive finals—five of them on hardcourts.
Moutet’s flawless run to his third career final
One of the eccentric talents on the Tour, Moutet has found some consistency this season and reached the third final of his career. The 26-year-old entered the top-40 for the first time in his career amid a great year, in which he reached the Mallorca final on grass-courts a few months ago, only to lose to Tallon Griekspoor.
Moutet brings an intrepid and surprising game, in which he is not afraid to alternate underarm serves and some elegant drop shots with a particularly skillful hand. Precisely his unusual style of play has brought him good results this season, and in Almaty, he has been impeccable in reaching the final, not conceding any sets.
The 8th seed overcame Bernard Tomic (6-1, 7-6), Alexander Shevchenko (7-5, 6-3), Jan-Lennard Struff (6-4, 7-5), and Alex Michelsen in the semi-finals (7-5, 6-4). The Frenchman has not been entirely consistent with his serve throughout the tournament, but he has been notable on return, with 15 breaks in his favor and only 4 against.
H2H revenge match: Moutet already holds a surprise win over Medvedev
Medvedev and Moutet have two previous meetings, with the H2H standing at 1-1: the first on grass courts at Mallorca 2021—an easy win for the Russian—while the last time was just a couple of months ago in the DC Open quarter-finals, where Moutet surprisingly turned the score around to secure the victory 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
In that last meeting—at the start of the North American hardcourt swing—Medvedev failed to capitalize on an early lead and was plagued by errors, including 10 double faults and only a 51% first serve percentage, far from the Frenchman's 65% first serve, who took the win while battling cramps and saving six break points against him in the third set to hold onto the advantage.
The realities are immensely different between a player seeking his 21st professional title (in his 40th final) and the Frenchman who is looking for the first of his career, in only his third final so far.
Match Info: Corentin Moutet - Daniil Medvedev
Start time (local): Sun, 19 Oct, 3:00 PM
Start time (your time): Sun, 19 Oct, 6:00 PM
Court: Center Court
Tournament: Almaty Open
Round: Final
Head-to-Head
| Moutet | Medvedev |
|---|
| Total Wins | 1 | 1 |
| Win Streak | 1 | 0 |
| Official Ranking | 41 | 14 |
| Race Ranking | 39 | 15 |
| Live Ranking | 36 (+5) | 14 |
| Live Race Ranking | 33 (+9) | 13 (+2) |
| Age | 26 (19 Apr 1999) | 29 (11 Feb 1996) |
| Residence | Boulogne-Billancourt, France | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Height | 5'8" (175cm) | 6'5" (198cm) |
| Weight | 150lbs (68kg) | 183lbs (83kg) |
| Plays | Left (one/two-handed backhand) | Right (two-handed backhand) |
| Turned Pro | 
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
Latest Comments
- WTA players have been the loudest voices against the ridiculous, mentally & physically dangerous scheduling for the past 2 seasons.
But now that ATP is affected, all of a sudden it's a 'legitimate' issue.
The WTA / ATP fat-cats need to leave their air-conditioned offices once in a while and experience no days off!
- Can someone please tell Stubbs to STFU?
This is not a match commentating situation (where she also cannot shut her mouth; not even for a second).
This is BIOLOGY. Look it up, before you next bless us with your lack of wisdom.
Better yet... have that male Olympic boxer in Algeria throw a "female" punch at you and let us know how that goes.
- This testing should have been done years ago as a prerequisite to competing in any male or female sport.
Safety First -- Biology Rules!!
- Poor Aaron has been so bothered, for so long, by this possibility of proving one is NOT a male in a female sport that his list of unproven, unsupported claims is laughable. Claiming "privacy" and "Rights" is nothing short of lame.
I challenge Mr. Solomon to take advantage of his "Right" to take a punch from that Algerian "female" boxer (whom failed testing -- and subsequently continues to play the system). This is the one who has injured several female opponents.
WTA should absolutely not receive any credit for this common sense ruling!!! They have finally been forced to do so by the IOC.
Imagine, after far too many years and injuries by males hurting females, "gender equality" comes to the sport of tennis (females competing with genuine biological females).
- Hurry on back Carlos! We miss you!!
- Well done to the author of this article!! A meltdown is what Coco experienced at the US Open the year she was chirping at her box, very near to tears, double faults were in great supply and she simply could not get a handle on that match. THAT AP is a meltdown!!
- This sensible approach helped Muchova... and look where she will find herself tomorrow (Wimbledon Final).
Iga's wise to escape... especially to Nature and so. The wilderness (forests, lakes, mountains) has been my "Church" and escape from The Noise since I was a kid.
She'll do well in the end.
- "Like if it was hotter, I probably would have won, I'm not gonna lie."
Geezus...
- This one has totally lost the plot.
She is about to cross the racism line in her hatred for Russian people.
NEWSFLASH DARLING -- Russian majority of citizens (and your ex-Colleagues whom you shamed) are not who you should be aiming at. Grow up.
- Why do all these "experts" feel the need to publicly "tell players" what they need to do, or what they're doing wrong??
How about this -- if you're so concerned with a player's situation actually take the time to contact the team in question and talk directly to them. Yapping in public media is rarely, if ever, helpful.
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