Great Britain's Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans lost their singles matches on the first day of the Davis Cup quarter-final against France in Rouen.
Edmund was beaten 7-5 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 by world number 17 Lucas Pouille.
Evans, ranked three places above Edmund at 44, also lost in three sets - 6-2 6-3 6-3 to world number 68 Jeremy Chardy.
Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot will play Nicolas Mahut and Julien Benneteau in Saturday's doubles, before the reverse singles on Sunday.
In front of a raucous crowd, Edmund battled hard for the first two sets against Pouille, the highest-ranked player in the tie.