Defending champion Lisa Raymond had to survive a tough battle against American wild card Carly Gullickson. Raymond, the No. 2 seed, dropped the first set before winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semifinals.

Gullickson, the 16-year-old amateur from Nashville playing in her first WTA Tour tournament, was not fazed by the occasion and put a lot of pressure on her more experienced opponent.

"I was just out there to have fun," said Gullickson, the daughter of former MLB star Bill Gullickson. "I didn't expect to win at all, but it was great after the first set and I knew she would play better in the second."

Expectations

Gullickson, who says she will play in the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells and the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami before making a decision whether to turn pro or go to college, says she had no expectations coming into the tournament.

"I just wanted to win one round," said Gullickson. "But after taking a set from Lisa Raymond it felt good to know I can compete with these girls. I'll take a way a lot of experience from this week."

Playing in front of a big crowd that got behind every point at the Racquet Club of Memphis, Gullickson added: "I've never played in front of a crowd like that before - the most I've ever had is about 150 people."
Raymond, who now goes on to meet Korea's Yoon Jeong Cho, was full of admiration for her teenage opponent.

"I'm glad to get through and be in the next round," said the No. 2 seed. "She came out playing really well. I remember when I was 16, I had no fear and you just g for your shots, and that's what she did. She handled herself really well, she handled the crowd really well and I give her a lot of credit for that. Her composure was amazing and she had unbelievable demeanor.

"In the end I was hoping she would get a little bit nervous and I had to keep my composure as well. It was a lot of fun for both of us out there."