MOSCOW, September 27. /TASS/. Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated compatriot Liudmila Samsonova in the second round of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tournament in Tokyo.

Alexandrova beat reigning champ Samsonova in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, Alexandrova will play against the winner of the match between Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and the Czech Republic's Linda Noskova.

Alexandrova, 28, is ranked 21st in the WTA rankings. The Russian has four titles at tournaments under the auspices of the organization. Alexandrova's best result at Grand Slam tournaments is reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2023. In 2021, she won the Billie Jean King Cup as a member of the Russian team.

Samsonova is 24 years old and is ranked 22nd in the world rankings. She has won four WTA titles. The Russian has never advanced past the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament. She was also a member of the Russian team that won the Billie Jean King Cup in 2021.

The hard-court tournament in Tokyo belongs to the WTA 500 category. The total prize fund is over $780,000. Last year's champion was Russian Liudmila Samsonova. Other Russians to win the tournament include Nadezhda Petrova, Maria Sharapova, Dinara Safina and Yelena Dementieva.