<p class="title">Roger Federer began his US Open preparation with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Peter Gojowczyk in a first ATP Cincinnati Masters appearance since 2015.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who turned 37 last week, is pacing his tennis year, playing a limited schedule and missing events when he feels the need to rest.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He has missed the last two editions of this tournament because of injury.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Eighth seeded Petra Kvitova used her precision serve to overpower Serena Williams 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in their second round match on Tuesday night.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Federer's defeat of the 47th-ranked German in 72 minutes marked the first step towards a possible eighth title at the tournament.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I felt good in that first match, to be honest, walking out, hardly any nerves. I think I knew what I had to do," Federer said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's fast-court tennis. I knew my opponent was going to go for it and take big cuts at the ball, so there is only so much you can really do.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's nice to have played a match so that my last match was not the Anderson match... you've kind of turned the page. It's a good thing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The goal is now to recover from this match, take the positives with me. Of course, the big goal is the US Open."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The contest was the first for the Swiss since losing to Kevin Anderson in five sets in the Wimbledon quarter-finals on July 11.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Eighth seed Dominic Thiem was forced to withdraw without hitting a ball, after suffering with a virus.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Austrian played just one losing match last week in Toronto on the hardcourts since making a late switch from post-Wimbledon clay.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Nick Kyrgios served 39 aces, including one to save match point, to power into the second round with a dramatic 6-7 (2/7), 7-5, 7-6 (11/9) win over Denis Kudla.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Last year's losing finalist finally saw off the American on his sixth match point.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Australian will next face Croatian Borna Coric, who beat Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 6-3.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Weekend Toronto finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas tired late in a 7-5, 6-3 loss to Belgian 11th seed David Goffin.</p>.<p class="bodytext">South Korea's Chung Hyeon rallied past a struggling Jack Sock for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Chung handed the slumping American an eighth straight defeat, with Sock's last win coming in the opening round at Rome three months ago.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Unseeded Milos Raonic advanced past Serb Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-3 at the combined ATP and WTA event, the last major tune-up prior to the US Open on August 27.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the women's draw, the second set of the Kvitova-Williams contest was significant for Williams because it was her first set win this season against a top 10 opponent.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 23-time Grand Slam champion won her first round match over Daria Gavrilova in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, on Monday, but appeared to run out of gas in the third set against Kvitova.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Just two weeks ago, Williams suffered the worst defeat of her career in San Jose when she was crushed 6-1, 6-0 in 51 minutes by world No. 39 Johanna Konta.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Czech ninth seed Karolina Pliskova made a personal breakthrough as she beat Agnieszka Radwanska for the first time after seven previous straight-sets losses to the Pole, winning 6-3, 6-3.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It was a tough round for me because I've never beaten her, never even taken a set," said Pliskova. "I was so happy when I won the first set because I thought, 'Finally, one set for me.'"</p>.<p class="bodytext">Australian 16th seed Ashleigh Barty defeated Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 7-5, while 14th-ranked Elise Mertens topped Magdalena Rybarikova 6-4, 6-2.</p>
<p class="title">Roger Federer began his US Open preparation with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Peter Gojowczyk in a first ATP Cincinnati Masters appearance since 2015.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who turned 37 last week, is pacing his tennis year, playing a limited schedule and missing events when he feels the need to rest.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He has missed the last two editions of this tournament because of injury.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Eighth seeded Petra Kvitova used her precision serve to overpower Serena Williams 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in their second round match on Tuesday night.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Federer's defeat of the 47th-ranked German in 72 minutes marked the first step towards a possible eighth title at the tournament.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I felt good in that first match, to be honest, walking out, hardly any nerves. I think I knew what I had to do," Federer said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's fast-court tennis. I knew my opponent was going to go for it and take big cuts at the ball, so there is only so much you can really do.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's nice to have played a match so that my last match was not the Anderson match... you've kind of turned the page. It's a good thing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The goal is now to recover from this match, take the positives with me. Of course, the big goal is the US Open."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The contest was the first for the Swiss since losing to Kevin Anderson in five sets in the Wimbledon quarter-finals on July 11.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Eighth seed Dominic Thiem was forced to withdraw without hitting a ball, after suffering with a virus.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Austrian played just one losing match last week in Toronto on the hardcourts since making a late switch from post-Wimbledon clay.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Nick Kyrgios served 39 aces, including one to save match point, to power into the second round with a dramatic 6-7 (2/7), 7-5, 7-6 (11/9) win over Denis Kudla.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Last year's losing finalist finally saw off the American on his sixth match point.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Australian will next face Croatian Borna Coric, who beat Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 6-3.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Weekend Toronto finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas tired late in a 7-5, 6-3 loss to Belgian 11th seed David Goffin.</p>.<p class="bodytext">South Korea's Chung Hyeon rallied past a struggling Jack Sock for a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Chung handed the slumping American an eighth straight defeat, with Sock's last win coming in the opening round at Rome three months ago.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Unseeded Milos Raonic advanced past Serb Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-3 at the combined ATP and WTA event, the last major tune-up prior to the US Open on August 27.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the women's draw, the second set of the Kvitova-Williams contest was significant for Williams because it was her first set win this season against a top 10 opponent.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 23-time Grand Slam champion won her first round match over Daria Gavrilova in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, on Monday, but appeared to run out of gas in the third set against Kvitova.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Just two weeks ago, Williams suffered the worst defeat of her career in San Jose when she was crushed 6-1, 6-0 in 51 minutes by world No. 39 Johanna Konta.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Czech ninth seed Karolina Pliskova made a personal breakthrough as she beat Agnieszka Radwanska for the first time after seven previous straight-sets losses to the Pole, winning 6-3, 6-3.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It was a tough round for me because I've never beaten her, never even taken a set," said Pliskova. "I was so happy when I won the first set because I thought, 'Finally, one set for me.'"</p>.<p class="bodytext">Australian 16th seed Ashleigh Barty defeated Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 7-5, while 14th-ranked Elise Mertens topped Magdalena Rybarikova 6-4, 6-2.</p>