Ruud is on his way to his title defense in Geneva. He has won back-to-back titles for the past two years and is looking to extend that streak to three.
The Geneva Open is the last clay-court event warm-up going into the French Open which starts on May 28.
“I feel great. It’s a great win for me,” said Ruud in his on-court interview.
“J.J. is a very aggressive, tough player to play against, a very tough opponent. I started the match great, got a break early, and also won in the end luckily… Happy to be here again tomorrow. It’s great to be back in Geneva and always great to play in front of the fans here again.”
When asked why he usually does well in Geneva, Ruud Said: “The club is beautiful, the fans are great.”
“Switzerland is a country with a lot of tennis history now, with Roger [Federer], and Stan [Wawrinka] still playing. So it’s an incredible country to be in, I really like it.”
“Good food, good people, a lot of beautiful views so there’s a lot of things to like about Geneva and it’s always a great feeling being here.”
In the next round, Ruud will take on Nicolas Jarry. The quarterfinal is set for tomorrow. Jarry advances to the quarterfinals after Tallon Griekspoor had to retire due to an ankle injury.