Corentin Moutet feels being injury-free brings out his best

Corentin Moutet defeated Alexander Shevchenko 7-5, 6-3 to progress to the quarter-final of the 2025 Almaty Open.

Moutet was trailing 4-1 in the first set but made a fantastic comeback to thwart the crowd favorite at the Centre Court in Almaty on Wednesday. Displaying grit and perseverance throughout the Round of 16 match, the Almaty Open debutant made his way to the next round of the tournament.

In search of his first victory against Moutet, Shevchenko was breathing fire when he walked out to the centre court and showcased multiple quality shots which kept him in good stead for most part of the first set.

But the home favorite made 31 unforced errors and also dropped two set points in his own serve, which allowed Moutet to emerge victoriously.

Talking about the hotly contested match and his opponent, Moutet quipped, “I have played him three times before. He’s a good friend and a very great guy. So, I have a lot of respect for him. It’s a pleasure when you share a match with someone that you appreciate.”

Moutet continued, “The tactic was to be aggressive, try to move him, because he played very, very fast and he's in great shape. He’s playing at home, and I know he’s a very very good player, especially indoors. I try to put good serves, return and stay in the game, and stay focused.”

Moutet has been enjoying his best year in professional tennis at the ripe age of 26 years old. Moutet recently achieved his career-best ranking of 37 in September 2025 and could achieve newer heights if he continues to excel at the Almaty Open.

When asked what the secret is behind the same, Moutet revealed, “The difference is that I wasn’t injured. We work very hard with my team, and of course, I give all credit to them, to myself as well, because I work very hard. The main thing is that I knew that my place was more at this ranking, even if I want to go higher.”

He continued, “It’s normal that I am here. Not that it’s easy, it’s very hard, you have to beat great players to be here. It was frustrating because in the last few years, I couldn’t play a full year. So, it was the main goal with my team to play a full year this time and avoid injuries. I was sure that if I avoided injury, I’m very serious and very dedicated to the game, I will have a good year.”

In the quarter-final, Moutet will now face either the defending champion Karen Khachanov, who also featured in the Wimbledon Championships quarter-final in July or the experienced Jan-Lennard Struff, who recently made it to the fourth round of the US Open in August.