Eastern at the 2022 US Open
Former Eastern junior Will Blumberg fist pumps during his quarterfinal match in mixed doubles. Photo Credit: Rhea Nall/USTA
It’s just the beginning. Making his debut in the mixed doubles tournament of a Grand Slam, former Eastern junior William Blumberg, of Greenwich, Connecticut, teamed up with Caty McNally to reach his first-ever major semifinal at the 2022 US Open. The duo, who received a wild card into the event, defeated a slew of high-caliber opponents—including Victoria Azarenka and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round, top seeds and two-time Wimbledon champions Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski in the second, and Jelena Ostapenko and David Vega Hernandez in the quarterfinals—before falling to No. 4 seeds and eventual champions Storm Sanders and John Peers in a match tiebreak.
The run is one of several great results this past year for the former University of North Carolina standout, who is quickly building a solid resume in doubles. Over the summer—with two separate partners—the 24-year-old claimed two ATP men’s doubles titles in two months, and he also teamed up with 2022 French and US Open singles finalist Casper Ruud to make the second round of Wimbledon in July. His steady progress dates all the way back to last year, when from September 2021 to January 2022, he paired up with fellow American Max Schnur to reach four ATP Challenger tour finals, winning all four of them.
Elsewhere at the final major of the year, Christina McHale, another former Eastern junior, retired from the sport after losing in the first round of qualifying at her home slam. The New Jersey native first made headlines when, as a 19-year-old, she defeated No. 8 seed Marion Bartoli at the 2011 US Open. (She was one of three young Americans to defeat a seed en route to a third round finish that year, alongside an 18-year-old Sloane Stephens and a 21-year-old Irina Falconi.)
Throughout her time on the WTA circuit, McHale captured two titles, attained a career-high ranking of world No. 24 and collected wins over Petra Kvitova, Garbine Muguruza, Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka, Stephens and Iga Swiatek, among many others. And although she never beat Serena Williams—who also famously retired after the event—McHale was always a tough out for the 23-time Grand Slam champion, with three of their four matches spanning a full three sets. (In their only match that spanned two—a Round of 16 match on clay in Italy—McHale actually held a point in the tiebreak to claim the first set.) The pair also played arguably one of the greatest points of the last decade in women’s tennis: a lung-busting, 25-shot rally that came a solid two hours and 21 minutes into their second round battle at Wimbledon in 2016.
“I am so grateful to have had the chance to live out my childhood dream all of these years,” McHale wrote in an Instagram post about her retirement. “I have learned so much through all the ups and downs and have so many amazing memories I will cherish forever.”
Christina McHale retired from professional tennis following her qualifying match at the 2022 US Open. Photo Credit: Pete Staples/USTA
Congratulations to all USTA Eastern athletes who participated in the 2022 US Open:
William Blumberg
Men’s Doubles (Round 1)
Mixed Doubles (Semifinals)
Louisa Chirico
Women’s Singles (QR1)
Mixed Doubles (Round 1)
Elvina Kalieva
Women’s Singles (QR1)
Aleksandar Kovacevic
Men’s Singles (QR1)
Shannon Lam
Girls’ Singles (Round 1)
Girls’ Doubles (Round 1)
Christina McHale
Women’s Singles (QR1)
Christasha McNeil
Girls’ Singles (QR1)
Ariana Pursoo
Girls’ Singles (Round 2)
Theadora Rabman
Girls’ Singles (QR1)
Cooper Williams
Boys' Singles (Round 1)
Boys' Doubles (Round 2)
Michael Zheng
Boys’ Singles (Round 3)
Boys’ Doubles (Quarterfinals)
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