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World number two Federer, the top player in the
men's draw following Rafa Nadal's withdrawal due to fatigue,
looked fresh as he overwhelmed Gojowczyk with pinpoint serving
and speedy defense.
World number 47 Gojowczyk failed to convert any of his five
break points on the fast Ohio hardcourts, easing the pressure on
the 20-times grand slam champion.
Federer, playing in his first match since turning 37 earlier
this month, said taking the fight to his opponent was a key to
his continued success.
"It's important to always try to play your game, especially on
faster surfaces, and not be too reactive," he said.
"In this day and age everybody serves big, everybody can hit big
from the baseline... so it's important to bring in your own
energy, whether it's the first round or the finals."
Federer will look to continue toward a record eighth title at
the Ohio event when he faces Argentine Leonardo Mayer in the
third round on Thursday.
TSITSIPAS FLAMES OUT
Twenty-year-old Tsitsipas was unable to build on his magical
Toronto run as the Greek upstart fell 7-5 6-3 to Belgian David
Goffin.
Tsitsipas, who strung together four wins over top-10 players in
Toronto before falling to Nadal in Sunday's final, converted
just one of eight break points.
Goffin avenged a quarter-final loss to world number 15 Tsitsipas
in Washington two weeks ago and will next face Frenchman Benoit
Paire.
South Korean Chung Hyeon rallied to beat Jack Sock 2-6 6-1 6-2
and set up a second-round clash with fourth seed Juan Martin del
Potro.
Australian Open semi-finalist Chung, who in April became the
first South Korean to crack the top 20, won 70 percent of his
first-serve points en route to the win.
"It was a really tough match," he said. "In the first set he had
a really good serve and big forehand but I was just trying to
stay strong all the time and stay calm as well."
The clash with Del Potro, who this week rose to a career-high
third in the world rankings, will be their first meeting.
Sock's defeat was his eighth in succession dating back to the
Italian Open.
Third seed Alexander Zverev will meet Robin Haas in the second
round, while Milos Raonic advanced to face Tunisian lucky loser
Malek Jaziri.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles and Frank Pingue in
Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar / Ian Ransom)
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