In less than a week's time, the tennis world will shift its focus to the All England Lawn Tennis Club as Wimbledon gets underway.  The third major of the season is not typically known to produce the same number of upsets or quirky winners as the Australian Open or Roland Garros, but that hardly means that proceedings will go according to plan in the Ladies' Singles draw.  On the contrary, there are more than a few dark horse candidates capable of shaking up the draw and putting together successful Wimbledon campaigns of their own.

Arguably, the two strongest dark horses are Venus Williams and Sabine Lisicki.  By far, Wimbledon has been the most successful major for both women, with Williams having won five singles titles here while Lisicki has reached the second week in each of her last five trips, including a finalist appearance in 2013.  One of the main reasons behind their success is that their games are so well suited to the grass.  Each possesses an imposing first delivery on serve, blistering groundstrokes from the baseline, and impressive skills up at the net.  In addition to that, there is also the confidence factor.  History has shown that irrespective of their form in the months leading up to the year's third major, more often than not Williams and Lisicki find a way to tap into their best tennis when they set foot on the hallowed lawns.  Their games take off into full flight, and as a result, they have garnered their share of notable victories en route to carving out their deep runs at Wimbledon over the years.  There is no reason that they cannot do it again this season, and no one in the field will be taking either of these women lightly.

While many know to watch Williams and Lisicki once Wimbledon commences, there are also a couple of up-and-comers who deserve a look.  One of them is Karolina Pliskova.  The Czech is not yet a household name, but she has learned to temper her aggressive style of play to make steady progress in 2015.  Already, she has secured a title in Prague and reached the finals of Sydney and Dubai.  Most important for her immediate future, though, was her finalist appearance in Birmingham, where she pushed Angelique Kerber to the brink before succumbing to defeat.  Presently ranked a career-high No. 11, Pliskova is brimming with confidence and could break new ground at a major if she is given a relatively workable draw.

Like Pliskova, fellow up-and-comer Belinda Bencic is still not well known outside tennis circles, but she is a player that many have had their eyes on for a couple of years now.  The Swiss teenager already owns a solid, all-around game that continues to improve as she gains valuable experience.  Furthermore, she has previously shown herself capable of going deep at a major, as evidenced by her quarterfinal showing at last year's US Open, and after reaching the finals of 's-Hertogenbosch and producing strong play this week in Eastbourne, she could be poised to replicate that feat at Wimbledon.  Granted, her chances of doing so are dependent on where she lands in the draw, but with the way she is playing now, she is unlikely to be intimidated by any opponent.

Suffice it to say that none of these four women is likely to back down from the challenge of any opposition or suffer a crisis of confidence as they begin their respective Wimbledon campaigns.  They enter The Championships knowing that they are not among the favorites, but they can be assured of the fact that they are capable of achieving some level of success in the upcoming fortnight and playing well enough to defeat anybody on any given day.  In short, they could produce something special in the coming weeks, so do not be surprised if they make any headlines in doing so.