Bermuda will have to produce a comeback for the ages if they are to come out on top in their historic Davis Cup match with Mexico.

In front of a loud, capacity crowd at WER Joell Tennis Stadium, Daniel Phillips lost the opening match 4-6, 1-6 to Alan Magadan before Trey Mallory fell to a 4-6, 2-6 defeat to Alex Hernandez.

The 2-0 deficit means Bermuda will have to win all three remaining games on Sunday if they are to taste success.

Taking to the court first, the day started well for Phillips, who dropped only one point in his first service game, but he lost the next five games and was broken twice as Magadan raced into a 5-1 lead.

The Bermudian gamely fought back to win the next three games and played some inspired tennis, including breaking his opponent’s serve for the first time, to bring the score back to 5-4 and set up a tense conclusion to the first set.

But Magadan held his nerve in the tense atmosphere to win a closely fought tenth game and take the first set 6-4.

The Mexican player, ranked 514th in the world and nearly 1,000 places higher than Phillips, then continued to apply the pressure at the start of the second set.

The opening game of what turned out to be the concluding set was a battle, going to deuce before Magadan broke Phillips’s serve and with that the trajectory of the match was in little doubt.

For all his effort, Phillips was unable to wrestle the momentum back, with Magadan breaking the home favourite’s serve on a couple more occasions to take the second set 6-1,

After the game, Magadan revealed his delight at picking up Mexico’s first point but found time to praise Phillips’s play

“It was pretty hot and we expected a tough match,” Magadan said.

“Daniel is a good college player and it’s tough to play away from home. We knew it was going to be tough but we kept our mindset strong.

“It was a difficult match for both of us. He was playing in a Davis Cup match being held at home for the first time in 30 years. It’s not easy for him to be No 1 in Bermuda and play at home.

“I felt he played a good match, I played a good match but today I was just a little better. The result went my way but that doesn’t mean tomorrow will be the same and I will have to come out an work just as hard.

Mallory started the game well and came closing to breaking Hernandez in just the second game of the match, with the Mexican taken to three deuces before making it onto the scoreboard and levelling the opening set at 1-1 after Mallory had won his first service game to love.

An even match was characterised by some long rallies but it was in the seventh game that Hernandez made the decisive move, picking up the only break of the set.

In similar fashion to the opening match Hernandez picked up an early break in the second set in another game with multiple deuces to go 2-1 up and put Mallory and Bermuda under pressure.

Mallory, to his credit, gave it his all with the next two games again featuring multiple deuces but the Mexican just came out on top, winning the next three games before Mallory held his serve to make it 5-2.

However, there was to be no comeback with Hernandez serving it out to give Mexico a strong lead heading into day two.

The action gets under way at 10am on Sunday with the doubles rubber as Phillips and Mallory take on their conquerors needing to win to keep the tie alive.