Two-time defending champion Lisa Raymond ensured that the top four seeds all progressed to the semifinals of the Cellular South Cup after she overcame a second set blip to defeat fellow American Lindsay Lee-Waters.

Raymond extended her record at the Racquet Club of Memphis to a perfect 10-0 with a 6-0, 4-6,6-1 victory over her 26-year-old opponent to book her place in the last four against fourth seed Laura Granville.

Raymond, who reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year, began the match in the best possible way, serving two of her nine aces in the opening game before taking the first set in just 18 minutes. But Lee-Waters hit back to take the second before Raymond settled back into her rhythm.

"It was a matter of a point here and there and the next thing the set's over," said Raymond of the second set. "I was up in a lot of games on her serve and I stayed calm and I knew that if I just got off to a good start in the third, I'd be fine."

With talk of a possible third consecutive title, Raymond added: "I certainly would love to win three in a row. I put a little bit of extra pressure on myself when I came last year as defending champion, and now this year as the two-time defending champion, but I've had good preparation and I feel good so we'll see."

Looking ahead to her all-American semifinal against Granville, Raymond said: "I've never played Laura. She's a great player, she's one of these Americans that has done well in the past couple of years and is obviously playing well to get to the semis, so it will be a good match for me."