3-0 by a powerful Peru team.

The young Island team had needed a win to progress to the quarter-finals of the Americas Group II qualifying tournament, after a 3-0 defeat to Jamaica and a 2-1 win against Antigua and Barbuda.

Tara Lambert produced some solid serving in yesterday's opening match, but found Ariana Rojas just too strong for her, losing 6-1, 6-1.

Danielle Paynter was also out of her depth against Carla Rodriguez, now 26- years-old and once the junior world number three.

Rodriguez played with power and precision to beat Paynter 6-0, 6-2.

It was the same story in the doubles, as Paynter and Danielle Downey were swept aside 6-1, 6-0 by Rojas and Lorena Rodriguez.

Peru were relegated from Group I last year and are strongly favoured to bounce straight back up by winning the qualifying tournament.

Team captain Kelly Holland praised her teenaged team for the way they had stuck to their difficult task.

"Peru are very strong and the hardest part for the girls was knowing they were probably going to be defeated, but not going out there with a defeatist attitude,'' said Holland.

"They just had to try and concentrate on getting the ball back and they did that well.'' For three of the four girls, it had been a first experience of Federation Cup tennis and Holland said the team had the potential to be together for years, but she felt they needed more high-grade competition to improve.

"They need to play more matches at this level, once a year in the Fed Cup simply isn't enough,'' said Holland.

She added that the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association was working to put that right and plans were already being made to send the girls to a prestigious under-18 tournament in Florida in April.