US Open Expert Picks: Who will become champion, and who will surprise?

⤴️ WATCH: Will Novak Djokovic win a 25th major title?

👉 READ: Women's US Open preview, and Men's US Open preview

After the men's and women's US Open singles draws were made, we polled our writers and editors on four questions:

Who will be the women's champion?

• Peter Bodo: The hard work, focus, and tradecraft Iga Swiatek brings to the game will enable her to wipe out the bad taste left in her mouth after failures at the Olympics and Cincinnati.
• Liya Davidov: Aryna Sabalenka is ready to redeem her runner-up performance last year.
• Joel Drucker: She’s always had the power, but in recent years, Aryna Sabalenka has increased her level of poise and precision—all the tools it takes for a triumphant run at the US Open.
• Matt Fitzgerald: If the court speed is indeed slower than Cincy, Iga Swiatek’s chances of winning a second title in three years only increases.
• David Kane: Aryna Sabalenka slowly then quickly rounded back into form after a shoulder injury ruled her out of Wimbledon; the No. 2 ought to avenge her 2023 final defeat.
• Stephanie Livaudais: Aryna Sabalenka vowed to “keep things interesting” after winning Cincinnati, so count on her to do just that in New York.
• Ed McGrogan: Aryna Sabalenka will win the title without losing a set.
• Stephen Tignor: Aryna Sabalenka will carry her fast-court momentum over from Cincinnati for her first US Open title.

Who will be the men's champion?

• Peter Bodo: The doping-related distractions that are plaguing top seed Jannik Sinner will help No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz navigate his way through a favorable draw to the title.
• Liya Davidov: Novak Djokovic is riding the high of his life after his Olympics win, which makes me believe he'll end the year with one more Slam title under his belt.
• Joel Drucker: With the passion New York crowds relish, Carlos Alcaraz will continue his magical and methodical march into the record books.
• Matt Fitzgerald: Novak Djokovic is living his best life with a coveted Olympic gold medal—I wouldn’t bet against him riding that career high to major No. 25.
• David Kane: Carlos Alcaraz is on track to match Rafael Nadal’s historic 2010 season—just as his countryman did in New York, with a third straight major.
• Stephanie Livaudais: After a summer to forget, everything seems to be coming together at the right time for Montreal finalist Andrey Rublev.
• Ed McGrogan: Novak Djokovic doesn’t have an easy path to the final, but he has a much easier one than his two top rivals swimming in the top half of the bracket, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
• Stephen Tignor: Carlos Alcaraz will take advantage of a distracted Jannik Sinner and a still-recovering Novak Djokovic to win his second Open.

What will be the biggest surprise in the men's draw?

• Peter Bodo: Although Carlos Alcaraz may lie in wait in the quarters, Sebastian Korda has been stepping up, and his draw is conducive to a deep run.
• Liya Davidov: Marton Fucsovics tends to go unnoticed, but he packs a punch, and his hard-court game could prove lethal for some players.
• Joel Drucker: Amid a so-so year, the time is now right for Holger Rune to play high-quality tennis and assert himself as a sustainable Top 10 player.
• Matt Fitzgerald: Felix Auger-Aliassime handled the controversial ending to his Cincy campaign like a champ and may now have an extra intangible on his side: good karma.
• David Kane: Tommy Paul landed in the in-form but embattled Jannik Sinner’s section of the draw; a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, the American could be ready to go one (or two?) better in Flushing.
• Stephanie Livaudais: Holger Rune is catching fire again on North America’s faster hard courts, after a season of injuries and coaching instability kept him out of the conversation.
• Ed McGrogan: After reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will leave New York City on a four-match losing streak.
• Stephen Tignor: Tommy Paul will give Sinner a run for his money, and more, and make his first US Open semifinal.

What will be the biggest surprise in the women's draw?

• Peter Bodo: Coco Gauff just hasn't seemed right in recent weeks, and the distraction and general adulation she gets in New York could create too much pressure to overcome.
• Liya Davidov: Veronika Kudermetova has made deep runs in Slams before, and could sneak into the back half of the tournament again.
• Joel Drucker: Reigning Wimbledon champ Barbora Krejcikova has plenty of the skills required at the US Open to go much further than her No. 8 seeding.
• Matt Fitzgerald: Floating unseeded, it seems like the right time for Karolina Pliskova to catch fire on hard courts against this season.
• David Kane: Naomi Osaka hasn’t had a deep run since returning from maternity leave, but the two-time champion could be ready to reintroduce herself to the top of women’s tennis.
• Jon Levey:
• Stephanie Livaudais: DC champ Paula Badosa is seeded at a Slam for the first time since 2022, a year after doctors said there was “no chance” she could return to play pro tennis.
• Ed McGrogan: Either Emma Raducanu or Leylah Fernandez will return to a Grand Slam quarterfinal, four years after they shockingly met in the US Open final.
• Stephen Tignor: Mirra Andreeva will take another step up when faces Iga Swiatek for the second tournament in a row.