Bermuda put up a gallant fight before losing 2-1 to top seeds Guatemala at the ITF North, Central American and Caribbean Junior Davis Cup regional pre-qualifying main draw in the Dominican Republic.

Tristan Pettit needed three hours and 50 minutes to put Bermuda one nil up by winning the first singles match 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) before Zachary McGuire lost 6-1, 6-3 in a tough second singles rubber against Guatemala’s No 1 player, Ronaldo Cotom.

In the decisive doubles fixture, Guatemala triumphed 6-2, 6-2 to secure the victory, with the loss meaning Bermuda, who picked up identical 3-0 wins over Honduras and Jamaica in the pool stages, are no longer in contention for a spot in the top four.

Coach Terry Smith commended Bermuda’s youngsters for putting up a big fight against tough opponents.

“Team Bermuda showed good fighting spirit against No 1 seed Guatemala who were definitely stronger,’’ Smith said.

“Losing 2-1 to them surprised many of those who watched and drew a good crowd of spectators for a period. I was quite proud of the team’s efforts and we now eagerly await the next round opponent.

“We have the day off on Thursday as everyone else is playing catch-up matches. We don’t know who we’re playing next and we’ll probably only know on Thursday night.

“We are still in the main draw but we are now playing to determine our finishing position between fifth and eighth.”