The Maze Cup stands as a distinguished annual team competition showcasing the top juniors in the Boys’ and Girls’ 18 and 16 divisions from both Northern California and Southern California. The location of the contest alternates between the two sections annually. This year, Southern California is proud to host the Maze Cup from May 3-5 at the Jack Kramer Club in Rolling Hills Estates. Notably, this marks the first occasion in the event’s history, which commenced in 1974, that Southern California is hosting the event outside of Bakersfield.

“On behalf of the membership and management of the Jack Kramer Club, welcome to the 49th Annual Maze Cup. It is our pleasure and honor to host this prestigious competition for the first time in its storied history,” exclaimed Peter Smith, General Manager & Director of Tennis. “The Maze Cup embodies the finest aspects of tennis: spirited competition, the pride of representing your Section as a team, sportsmanship, and unparalleled enjoyment. The players form a special cohort of athletes, joining a lineage of some of the greatest players ever to emerge from American tennis. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our 2024 sponsors for their generous support, and to our membership for backing the event at the Kramer Club. Many thanks also to the USTA SoCal staff for their invaluable assistance in planning the 2024 event. We wish all the players the best of luck and hope you relish your time here in Southern California.”

Participants in this event inherit a rich competitive history between Northern and Southern California. “The rivalry remains vibrant, and we anticipate witnessing exceptional tennis and outstanding sportsmanship over the next two days. If history serves as any indication of the caliber of players present, this weekend promises to showcase the remarkable future of American tennis,” explained Trevor Kronemann, USTA Southern California Executive Director.

The competition follows a five-match Davis Cup/Billie Jean King Cup format, consisting of singles and doubles (four singles and one doubles). Matches will employ regular scoring and be the best of three tiebreak sets. In Boys’ and Girls’ 18 division matches, there will be no service lets; if the serve hits the net and lands in the service box, the ball remains in play. Each match won earns one point. Five points are up for grabs in each of the 18 divisions, and six points in each of the 16 divisions, totaling 22 points. The victor is the team that accumulates the most points. In the event of an 11-11 point tie, each Section will nominate one boy and one girl from their team to compete in a mixed doubles 10-Point Match Tiebreak to determine the winner.

Team SoCal has always been dominant in this competition, having won 43 out of the last 48 Maze Cup tournaments. Team SoCal is looking to once again defend its title after clinching the win last year by a score of 11-9 at the 48th annual Maze Cup. It truly was a battle of the sections last year with a 6-6 tie going into the finals.

Team SoCal will feature the following:

– Niels Hoffmann (Newport Beach)
– Jack Cross (Newport Beach)
– Daniela Borruel (Buena Park)
– Bianca Molnar (Ladera Ranch)
– Tyler Lee (Tustin)
– Andrew Li (San Diego)
– Andrew Johnson (Rancho Palos Verdes)
– Brooke Kwon (Diamond Bar)
– Sophie Suh (Orange)
– Lani Chang (Mission Viejo)

Maze Cup History

George Maze, Sr., a devoted volunteer for both the Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA) and Northern California Tennis Association (NCTA), was the namesake and brainchild for what has turned into one of the most prestigious and long-standing team events in the country. It all started as a way to bring players together from both sections to practice, prepare, and compete against each other before the East Coast summer National events way back in 1974.

Born and raised in Modesto, George was always a California man and tennis enthusiast. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1940. After serving in the Navy as a lieutenant during World War II, George Maze, Sr. settled in Bakersfield where he entered the farming business like his father. George and his tennis-playing wife soon joined the Bakersfield Racquet Club and became die-hard tennis players with George serving on the Board of Directors with a term as president.

Described as a “tireless volunteer” for the USTA Southern California Section, the couple in the late 1960s made the move to the East Bay because of a job change and the Maze’s became members of the Berkeley Tennis Club, the same club where George Maze Sr. played during his days attending the University of California at Berkeley.

They had three children: George Jr., Joan, and Bill. It would go without saying all three were introduced to tennis as soon as they were able to walk. They rapidly progressed through the local tournament scene and played all the tournaments in the Southern California sanctioned circuit.

George was probably the most enthusiastic, motivated, creative tennis parent that ever came out of the Bakersfield area. His ideas and determination to make them happen was a leading factor in the success of the Junior Development program in that community.

His youngest son, Bill, became an extremely gifted player who showed signs of talent at an early age. He was at the top of the heap from the 10’s on in the SCTA tournaments. Unfortunately for Bakersfield, George had a change of occupation in the late 60’s and the family moved to Northern California.

The elder Maze always had the idea of a section-vs.-section team event modeled after the Davis Cup format. He first got the idea for a friendly junior competition between the two sections having watched players like Erik Van Dillen and Jeff Borowiak from NorCal, and Stan Smith and Bob Lutz from SoCal. Bill, with his father present, won the USTA Boys’ 16 National singles title at Kalamazoo, Michigan. Two years later, he went on to be a finalist in the 18s’ singles. Sadly, Maze Sr. passed away from a heart attack while playing tennis at the club in 1973.

Upon his untimely death in 1973, the two sections created the Maze Cup. USTA Northern California President Peter Herb and SoCal President Joe Bixler put plans in place for the first Maze Cup to take place in the spring of 1974 in Fresno as a way to honor the legacy of George Maze.

Bill Maze, who was a nationally ranked junior and just 17 at the time, participated in the inaugural event, playing for the NorCal team. Although the event was emotional for Bill, he still managed to win one singles match. Bill is proud of the event and believes his father would be too.

Since 1974, the Maze Cup has grown to be one of the most prestigious and exciting junior events in the country. Pros like Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport, Michael Chang, Brad Gilbert, Cici Bellis, and many more have played in the event.

“It seems like the juniors have always enjoyed it,” said Bill Maze, who is in his 28th year of coaching the women’s tennis team at the University of California at Davis. “The team stuff is always so much more fun than the individual tournaments.”

The Maze family has continued its close association with tennis and have been ardent supporters of the Maze Cup. George Maze Jr., an attorney in the Bay area, is a past president of the Northern California Tennis Association, Joan is a realtor in San Francisco, played four years for the Cal Berkeley tennis team and continues to compete in USTA League tennis, and Bill Maze is the Women’s Tennis coach of University of California at Davis.