Eastern at the 2022 US Open

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.)

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)