Bruin and Trojan spectators crowded around court six with the crosstown duel tied at three apiece.

And in the face of both fanbases, Gianluca Ballotta was the Bruins’ final hope.

But when the junior’s final shot fell short of the net, those in cardinal and gold roared while those in blue and gold were left still and silent.

In its fourth consecutive loss, UCLA men’s tennis (2-6) fell 4-3 to No. 25 USC (6-3) at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, prolonging its longest losing streak since May 2023.

The Bruins led 3-2 with two duels up for grabs, but No. 99 junior Aadarsh Tripathi fell to Matteo Morazzi 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 before Ballotta fell against Karl Lee 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

“We only needed to win one of those last two matches,” said coach Billy Martin. “Our track record the last five, six matches – we’ve been playing pretty well, getting so doggone close but just not getting over the finish line – I’m perplexed myself.”

With sophomore Spencer Johnson out for a second-straight match because of injury, Martin put out a different doubles lineup for the third consecutive affair and a pair of freshmen onto singles courts one and two for the second time in as many contests.

Freshman Rudy Quan and freshman Kaylan Bigun won their doubles match 6-3 against Morazzi and Nathan Trouve. But Tripathi and senior Giacomo Revelli fell 6-3 to Volodymyr Iakubenko and Oscar Weightman while redshirt sophomore Emon van Loben Sels and senior Alexander Hoogmartens lost to Tristan Bradley and Peter Makk 7-5 – handing USC an early 1-0 advantage.

“I thought some of us played the best match of the year so far,” van Loben Sels said. “So close to getting to the finish line. … It’s really easy to just look down because we’ve had so many close losses this season, but I still think we can push through and have a great season.”

No. 78 van Loben Sels, Hoogmartens and No. 49 Quan all tallied singles victories, catapulting the Bruins just a point away from their first win since Jan. 26 against Georgia.

But ultimately, the scale tipped in the Trojans’ favor.

Hoogmartens, however, said the Bruins are building experience no matter the result on the scoreboard.

“I feel like we got our portion of the reason why we lost a little bit is because of experience,” Hoogmartens said. “It will only get better, and the guys who lacked a little bit of experience will now be able to convert their points and be able to win.”