2016 US Open predictions

Will injuries derail top seeds Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams? Will two surprise Olympic upstarts back up their Rio performances? Will the Summer of Andy roll on unabated? theScore's esteemed tennis writers, Joe Wolfond and Michael Amato, are here to help handicap the year's last major tournament.

Here are our predictions for the US Open:

Men's champ

Amato: Andy Murray

The talk at the start of the season was about how Novak Djokovic had the chance to make history, but when 2016 ends, it'll be remembered as Murray's year. The world No. 2 has closed the gap between himself and Djokovic after winning Wimbledon and a gold medal in Rio. Murray has firmly established himself as one of the best defensive players ever, and there are many more majors in his future.

Wolfond: Novak Djokovic

Tempting as it is to bank on the hot-hand theory, I see Djokovic righting the ship in New York after a tough couple of months. Having lost early in Rio and skipped Cincinnati, he's had a good chunk of time off to get his mind and body right. His Wimbledon loss should also ease some pressure, now that the Calendar Slam is off the table. The wrist injury is a concern, but a relatively straightforward draw should allow Djokovic to play his way back into form over the course of the tournament, before notching a sixth straight major head-to-head victory over Murray.

Women's champ

Wolfond: Simona Halep

Halep has quietly had a blistering summer, notching titles in Bucharest and Montreal and making the semis in Cincinnati after a quarterfinal run at Wimbledon. Angelique Kerber, the only woman who's beaten her since the French Open, is on the opposite half of the draw. Not that things will be any easier for Halep, after drawing Serena Williams as a potential quarterfinal opponent. But she looks hungry, is playing some of the best tennis of her life, and may be catching Serena - who's nursing a shoulder injury - at the right time. Her draw is murder, but she'll find a way through it to capture a hard-earned first Slam title.

Amato: Angelique Kerber

Kerber is coming dangerously close to overtaking Serena for the No. 1 ranking, and she'll get the job done in Flushing Meadows. The two have developed quite the rivalry this season, with Kerber beating the American in the Aussie final and Serena returning the favor at Wimbledon. The rubber match should go to the German, as the younger Kerber will have more left in the tank after a long season.

Men's runner-up

Amato: Novak Djokovic

Djokovic will need an impressive showing here after being dispatched early at Wimbledon by Sam Querrey, but he won't add another major to his mantle. He and Murray will add another installment to their rivalry in Grand Slam finals, with more likely on the way in 2017.

Wolfond: Andy Murray

Murray's owned the summer, but he hasn't had to face Djokovic at any of the events he's won. That's certainly no coincidence, as he hasn't beaten Djokovic in a best-of-five match since 2013. He's widened the gap between himself and the rest of the field, but until he proves otherwise, he's still a few strides behind the leader. Expect Murray's Grand Slam season to end the way it began: with a hard-fought finals loss to the world No. 1.

Women's runner-up

Wolfond: Madison Keys

The bottom half of the draw is just incredibly tough to figure, with virtually all the top seeds coming in with serious question marks. Garbine Muguruza has struggled since her French Open breakthrough, and she's won just one US Open main-draw match in her life. Kerber looked completely gassed in the Cincinnati final. Petra Kvitova is maddening inconsistency made flesh. Roberta Vinci is nominally ranked seventh, almost entirely on the strength of her miracle run to the finals here last year. Keys' free-swinging game, steady ascent, and under-the-radar consistency make her the safest bet of the bunch - even if she's never made it past the fourth round at the US Open, and has stalled out there at each of the last four Slams.

Amato: Serena Williams

It appeared Serena and Muguruza could be the next big rivalry in women's tennis, but Kerber has quickly taken the Spaniard's place. Kerber will get the better of Serena here, forcing the 34-year-old to adjust her game to fend off another in a long line of challengers for her crown.

Men's dark horse

Amato: Juan Martin del Potro

Del Potro is starting to look like the player that captured the 2009 US Open. The Argentine's wrist injuries appear to be a thing of the past, and the friendly confines of Flushing Meadows could be just what he needs to announce his return as a major contender. He also has a solid draw. The highest-seeded player in his quarter is Stan Wawrinka, who del Potro upset recently at Wimbledon.

Wolfond: Gael Monfils

New York always seems to bring the theatrical best out of La Monf, who is already in the midst of a career year. Plus, the buoyant Frenchman landed in a forgiving part of the draw. Milos Raonic could be a tough customer in the fourth round, but otherwise there isn't much standing between Monfils and a quarterfinal berth. And with a balky-wristed Rafa Nadal headlining the quarter, there's a decent chance we see Monfils in his first major semi since 2008.

Women's dark horse

Wolfond: Karolina Pliskova

There's really no rhyme or reason to Pliskova's Grand Slam struggles. She's been among the world's most consistent performers in WTA events over the past two years, but has somehow never advanced past the third round at a major. Look for that to change this year. She comes into the US Open on the heels of a monster tournament in Cincinnati where she smoked Muguruza and Kerber back-to-back to win the title. She's also landed in a cushy quarter, headlined by the erratic Aga Radwanska and 36-year-old Venus Williams. The door is wide open for Pliskova to finally make a deep Slam run.

Amato: Monica Puig

Like Murray, Puig will ride the momentum of capturing gold in Rio to an impressive US Open run. The 22-year-old won't win the tournament, but she finds herself in a soft quarter of the draw in New York. Don't be surprised if she sneaks into the quarterfinals.

Bold prediction

Amato: Murray doesn't drop a set in the tournament

Murray will prove he's not only one of the best in the world, but one of the best to ever play. The Scot has taken his game to another level over the past six months, and he'll build off his play in London and Rio to completely dominate the field in New York.

Wolfond: Kerber doesn't survive the first week, becomes No. 1 anyway

If the pressure doesn't catch up to Kerber, the fatigue will. She's had a pretty grueling summer, playing a ton of taxing, high-stakes matches as she chases down the world No. 1 ranking. In what may be the best chance she ever gets to claim top spot, the result in Flushing Meadows will be an early-round exit (a potential second-round matchup against Alize Cornet looks particularly dangerous) that busts open her quarter of the draw for someone like Keys or Kvitova.

Of course, owing to my aforementioned pick of Halep emerging from Serena's quarter, it follows that Kerber will take over the world No. 1 ranking regardless of how early she loses, since Serena needs to make at least the semis to hang onto No. 1.