Trey Mallory produced another gutsy showing at the Cotecc Under-12 Masters Tournament in Mexico today.

But it was not enough to prevent Bermuda from suffering their second straight defeat, dashing the Island’s hopes of securing a top-two finish and qualifying for the next phase of the tournament.

Bermuda were simply outgunned by top seeds Guatemala who stormed to an emphatic 3-0 victory.

Just 24 hours after losing to host country Mexico by the same scoreline in their tournament opener, Bermuda found themselves in a must-win scenario to stand any chance of finishing in the top two.

And their task became all the more daunting after Benjamin Jones lost the opening singles match to the steady Sebastion Dominguez, 6-0, 6-2.

Mallory rolled up his sleeves, taking six points off Fabian Taracena, before stumbling to a 7-5, 6-1 loss that clinched the series for Guatemala.

The Central Americans then completed the clean sweep after winning the doubles match in three sets, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Despite coming up short against Guatemala, Steve Bean, the Bermuda coach, believes that there are plenty of positives to take from the experience, beginning with Mallory’s impressive performances on court.

“Trey demonstrated that he is every bit as good as these top players, going shot for shot with his opponent in the first set,” he said. “He was unlucky not to win it.

“Trey is on par with the best of them and that is without exposure that these top players get. I think he is the best up-and-coming talent that we have.

“He is going places and Bermuda needs to support this one.”

Bermuda take on Costa Rica in their remaining pool A match before participating in a play-off to determine fifth through eighth.

“I’m very optimistic that we will get a victory before the tournament is over because our boys are playing well and competing better with each match,” Bean said.

The top two countries in Mexico will advance to the next round of the tournament, where they will battle it out against the United States and Canada for a place in the finals to be held in Europe.

Bermuda advanced to the second round of the tournament after placing second among the English speaking countries in the first round held in St Lucia in August.