Wimbledon 2013 Results: Dark Horse Candidates Who Prevailed in Last Match

With a plethora of former Wimbledon champions and world No. 1s having been eliminated during the first week of the 2013 championships, the door has opened for a handful of dark horse contenders.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have combined to win nine of the last 10 men's titles at the All England Club, and with both out, it's very possible that there could be a first-time winner crowned this summer.

And with both Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova exiting in the second round, the women's draw is every bit as wide open this year.

Here, we'll take a closer look at some dark horse candidates who prevailed on Friday at Wimbledon.

Marion Bartoli (15)

Fifteenth-seeded female Marion Bartoli may be flying under the radar this summer at the All England Club, but make no mistake, the 28-year-old Italian is a legitimate threat to win it all. 

Bartoli hasn't dropped a set en route to the round of 16 this June. On Friday, she defeated unseeded challenger Camila Giorgi, winning 70 percent of her first-serve points and cashing in on 7-of-8 points at the net. 

She was also fantastic on break point chances, winning 6-of-8. 

Moving forward, Bartoli is a player to keep an eye on in the women's draw. She was a quarter-finalist here in 2011, reached the final in 2007 and wouldn't have to play Serena Williams until the final next weekend.

Kirsten Flipkens (20)

With both Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova exiting in the second round, the draw has opened up for the women at the bottom, including 20th-seeded Belgian Kirsten Flipkens.

The 27-year-old has quietly won each of her first three matches in straight sets, including Friday's third-round clash with Vesna Dolonc. Flipkens had her serve broken four times in the match, but she was able to win 7-of-13 break points to make up for it.

She won a remarkable 63 percent of her total receiving points for the match and finished the day with eight aces to zero for Dolonc.

This is the first time Flipkens has ever reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon, making her a player to watch for in the coming rounds. 

Jerzy Janowicz (24)

For the first time in his career, up-and-coming Pole Jerzy Janowicz has reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon.

The 22-year-old hasn't lost a set and has looked awfully impressive through the first week at the All England Club. On Friday, the 24th-seeded Janowicz took out 15th-seeded Nicolas Almgaro, winning a hard-fought first-set tiebreak before taking the last two sets rather easily. 

Despite making just the second main draw appearance of his career at Wimbledon in 2013, Janowicz has played like a grass-court veteran, winning a high-percentage of his first-serve points and moving well for a 6'8" player, via BBC Sport:

Janowicz is the highest seeded player remaining in his quarter of the draw following the early exits of Nadal and Federer. Therefore, he will have a relatively easy path to the semifinals, where he would likely face Andy Murray.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.