Maylee Phelps Bio
Maylee Phelps (born 4 December 2006) is an American wheelchair tennis player of Chinese descent who has risen to prominence on the international junior and senior circuits. She became a former junior world number one in January 2023 and has captured major junior doubles titles, including the 2023 US Open and the 2024 French Open girls’ doubles events alongside Ksénia Chasteau. Phelps is also a Parapan American Games champion in women’s doubles, partnering with Dana Mathewson, and she represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris.
Born in China and adopted at the age of two, Phelps is based in Portland, Oregon, where she continues to train and compete at the highest levels of adaptive tennis. A right-handed player who employs a one-handed backhand, she has built a reputation for competitive composure and tactical awareness despite her young age.
Early Life and Background
Maylee Phelps was born on 4 December 2006 in China. She was born with spina bifida, a condition that would later shape her introduction to wheelchair sport. When she was two years old, Phelps was adopted and brought to the United States, where she was raised and eventually settled in the Portland, Oregon area.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Phelps discovered wheelchair tennis through local adaptive sports programs that introduce young athletes with physical disabilities to competitive tennis. Her early years in the sport focused on building technical foundations, court awareness, and the physical conditioning required to compete at higher junior levels.
Path to Tennis
Phelps progressed through junior wheelchair tennis circuits in the United States, gaining experience in regional and national-level adaptive competitions during her early teenage years. Her consistent results and rapid improvement positioned her among the top junior wheelchair players in the world.
By early 2023, Phelps had reached the summit of the junior world rankings, becoming the world number one in January 2023. This achievement reflected her dedication to training and marked her transition from promising junior to established international competitor, setting the stage for her Grand Slam doubles success later that year and beyond.
Maylee Phelps Career
Early Career
Phelps began competing in junior wheelchair tennis events as a young teenager, steadily building her ranking through regional and national tournaments in the United States. Her early career was defined by consistent results that drew attention from coaches and selectors within the American adaptive tennis community.
Her work ethic and on-court maturity helped her climb the junior rankings, and by 2022 she was competing regularly against the top junior players in the world. These formative years established the technical base and competitive mindset that would later fuel her breakthrough at major international events.
Grand Slam Doubles Breakthrough (2023–2024)
In 2023, Maylee Phelps partnered with Ksénia Chasteau to win the girls’ doubles title at the US Open, one of the most prestigious wheelchair tennis events on the junior calendar. The victory confirmed her status as an emerging doubles specialist and showcased her ability to perform under pressure on the biggest stages.
The partnership with Chasteau continued to flourish into 2024, when the duo captured the girls’ doubles crown at the French Open. Together, they became one of the leading junior doubles teams in wheelchair tennis, combining Phelps’s baseline consistency with Chasteau’s tactical versatility to win two major junior titles in consecutive seasons.
Senior International and Paralympic Debut (2024)
Phelps transitioned to senior international competition while still of junior age, reaching a career-high singles ranking of No. 30 on 8 April 2024. In doubles, she achieved a career-high ranking of No. 36 on 12 June 2023, reflecting her growing presence on the professional wheelchair tennis tour.
She represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, where she competed in both singles and doubles. In singles, she advanced to the second round before being eliminated, while in doubles she reached the first round of the main draw. That same year, Phelps won the women’s doubles gold medal at the Parapan American Games alongside Dana Mathewson, adding a senior continental title to her growing list of accomplishments.
Playing Style and Strengths
Maylee Phelps plays right-handed and uses a one-handed backhand, a classic foundation that allows her to generate angles and depth from both wings. Her game is built on solid baseline play, court coverage, and the tactical patience required in wheelchair tennis, where positioning and strategy often outweigh raw power.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among her most notable achievements are her 2023 US Open girls’ doubles title, her 2024 French Open girls’ doubles title, and her Parapan American Games women’s doubles gold medal with Dana Mathewson. Reaching the junior world number one ranking in January 2023 and competing at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris further highlight the rapid trajectory of her young career.
Maylee Phelps Career Wins
Maylee Phelps has built an impressive record across junior and senior wheelchair tennis, with a particular emphasis on doubles success. Her major titles include two Grand Slam girls’ doubles championships and a Parapan American Games gold medal, reflecting her ability to perform on some of the sport’s biggest stages.
Grand Slam and Major Highlights
Phelps won the girls’ doubles title at the 2023 US Open with Ksénia Chasteau, becoming a Grand Slam champion at the junior level. The duo then captured the 2024 French Open girls’ doubles crown, establishing themselves as one of the top junior doubles pairings in the world.
On the senior stage, Phelps claimed the Parapan American Games women’s doubles gold medal partnering with Dana Mathewson, a significant achievement that underlined her growing stature beyond junior competition.
Other Wins and Performances
Throughout her career, Phelps has accumulated 13 career singles titles and 9 career doubles titles at various levels of competition. Her career-high singles ranking of No. 30 and doubles ranking of No. 36 demonstrate sustained performance against established professional opponents on the international wheelchair tennis tour.
Maylee Phelps Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Maylee Phelps was born in China and adopted at the age of two, after which she was raised in the United States. She resides in Portland, Oregon, where she continues to train and pursue her competitive career in wheelchair tennis.
Details about her immediate family, including parents and siblings, are not publicly confirmed in available sources, and Phelps has kept much of her personal and family life private.
2025 Season Performance
Maylee Phelps enters the 2025 season as an established international competitor coming off a strong 2024 campaign that included Grand Slam doubles success and a Paralympic debut. As of late January 2025, she held a singles ranking of No. 36 and a doubles ranking of No. 59, placing her among the top American wheelchair tennis players in her age group.
The 2025 schedule is expected to feature continued participation on the professional wheelchair tennis tour, with opportunities to defend her junior Grand Slam doubles titles and pursue additional senior-level results. Her partnership with Ksénia Chasteau and her Parapan American Games partnership with Dana Mathewson remain key to her doubles ambitions.
With her Paralympic experience now behind her and her rankings stable, Phelps’s outlook for 2025 includes targeting a return to the top 30 in singles and pushing for deeper runs in major doubles events. Her combination of youth, prior major-tournament experience, and proven tactical skills positions her as one of the rising talents to watch in American wheelchair tennis.