Celebrating 50 Years:
Maze Cup 2025 Preview

Long before Team Europe and Team World began their Laver Cup rivalry, juniors from two sides of the Golden State squared off in a unique team tennis format to determine the Best of the West.

In 1974, top teenage players from Northern and Southern California met in Fresno to battle for the newly minted Maze Cup, the brainchild of George Maze, Sr., a tireless volunteer for both USTA Southern California (Southern California Tennis Association at the time) and USTA Northern California.

Maze envisioned an event that would bring the top players together before they headed East for the summer USTA National Junior Championships. Normally, top California players don’t compete against each other because the Section tournament structures operate independently of one another. 

Fast forward to 2025. The 50th annual Maze Cup will take place May 2-4 at the Berkeley Tennis Club in Northern California, east of the San Francisco Bay.  

“At its heart, tennis is a very lonely sport,” said Maria Goldberg, Senior Director of Competitive Tennis for USTA SoCal. “But the best thing about the Maze Cup tournament is the team atmosphere,” explained Goldberg, a chaperone and concierge of sorts for the 2025 SoCal team.

“For 95 percent of the year, elite junior players are on their own path. There are few opportunities for kids to play together as a team like they will as they progress,” Goldberg said. “We’ve been trying to give them more opportunities to experience alternative formats and to gear up for college play, since most of these players will go on to play for a university or on the [pro] tour.”

Fifty years is a long legacy for any event, but hard work, dedicated volunteers, and staff have kept George Maze’s vision alive for half a century now. 

Northern and Southern California take turns hosting the tournament, which is played using a 5-match Davis Cup/Billie Jean King Cup format, singles and doubles (four singles and one doubles) — two singles matches and a doubles match on Day 1, followed by two reverse singles matches on Day 2. 

“One point is awarded for each match won, with a total of 20 points available,” explained former Maze Cup player and coach Dianne Matias. “The Maze Cup Team Trophy winner is the team with the most points overall. Individual trophies are awarded to the players who win the most matches in their age division.”

Matias, who is currently the USTA SoCal Director of Junior Tennis and a former USC Trojan, agrees with Goldberg that her most memorable experiences with the tournament revolve around camaraderie with players from across the state. 

“As a junior, it was always one of my goals to play in the Maze Cup, and it was definitely perceived as an honor to be invited,” she said. “It was my first experience traveling with a team, not my parents, and it was so much fun! It was the first time I ever experienced being housed with another family. They would come and watch our matches and make us really good breakfasts. I remember those breakfasts!”

Jason Cook, Manager of Junior Team Tennis for the SoCal Section, is also a former Maze Cup player who touts the benefits of the unique team format. 

“Playing in the Maze Cup was my first experience being shipped out to play in a tournament without my folks,” he said. “I was the No. 1 junior player in SoCal, but up until then, my parents were always involved. It was a great precursor to playing college tennis at UCLA.” 

“Wearing matching clothes … cheering your teammates from the sidelines … anything that can facilitate that team bond is so beneficial for our kids,” Cook added. “And the Maze Cup offers all of that. Not just for the tradition, either. It’s an honor for the elite players to represent their part of the state and have pride in that. The players know how special that is.”

Though the Maze Cup is a California-based event, its influence has reached far beyond the state lines. Many of its participants have gone on to enjoy remarkable careers on the professional tour and in coaching. Alumni of the rivalry include tennis legends and rising stars such as Rick Leach (Arcadia), Lindsay Davenport (Rancho Palos Verdes), Marcos Giron (Thousand Oaks), Jason Jung (Torrance), Pete Sampras (Rancho Palos Verdes), Michael Chang (Encinitas), the Bryan Brothers (Camarillo), CiCi Bellis (San Francisco), Mackie McDonald (Berkley, UCLA), Katie Volynets (Walnut Creek), Giuliana Olmos (Fremont, USC), Ryan Seggerman (Coronado), and Ethan Quinn (Fresno). Their journeys from junior competition to the global stage are a testament to the event’s legacy. 

Remarkably, every player from the very first Team SoCal Maze Cup roster (Chris Lewis, Bruce Manson, Walter Redondo, Howard Schoenfeld, Anna-Marie Bruning, Barbara Hallquist, Lea Antonoplis, and Diane Morrison) went on to play professionally.

This year’s rosters don’t lack for up-and-coming talent either.

The 2025 Southern California players include:

– BOYS’ 18s: Nathaniel Suh (Orange) and Brayden Tallakson (Irvine)
– GIRLS’ 18s: Yilin Chen (San Diego) and Rachel Lee (San Diego)
– BOYS’ 16s: Adrien Abarca (Chula Vista), Kai Abarca (Laguna Hills), and JiHyuk Im (Irvine)
– GIRLS’ 16s: Brooke Kwon (Diamond Bar), Sophie Suh (Orange), and Kara Garcia (Sylmar)
– COACHES: Mark Hanson and Gail Brodsky-Hanson

The 2025 Northern California players include:

– BOYS’ 18s: Gus Grumet (Mill Valley) and Winston Wooin Lee (Cupertino)
– GIRLS’ 18s: Andra Braicu (Menlo Park) and Bella Jacutin-Mariona (Los Altos)
– BOYS’ 16s: Yashwin Krishnakumar (Dublin), Magnus Weng (San Jose), and Joseph Nau (Brentwood)
– GIRLS’ 16s: Sephi Sheng (Palo Alto), Aishi Bisht (San Jose), and Monika Tekic (Danville)
– COACHES: Nick Fustar and Alexandra “Alex” Poorta

“It’s unbelievable how incredible this first foray into being part of a unit is for our kids,” Goldberg said. “These kids make life-long friendships while they learn from each other.”

Goldberg shared one of her favorite memories from helping with the SoCal team: “A couple of years ago, we took some players north and during the team introductions, the kids were all standing there so stoic! I told one of our older players to ‘get out there and show them how you get introduced! First, you shake hands … you high-five teammates. Then you high-five your coach and shake hands with the other team’s coaches. We almost have to teach them how to explore the fun of it all.”

While the war paint definitely comes out for the proverbial Battle of the Sections, Goldberg says the secret sauce is the players’ shared love of tennis. 

“We can take pride in our section. We can take pride in the way we carry ourselves on court,” she said.  “But maybe later on, when our kids are out there looking for a potential hitting partner, they can ask someone to hit from NorCal. Because they are Maze Cup friends.

“Hey, we all love this game, and at the end of the day, we are all going to sit down and have dinner together. We might actually like each other! If our players come away with that feeling, we have accomplished something truly special.”

For more information about the 2025 Maze Cup schedule, click HERE. For a list of past players and Section winners, click HERE.