Wimbledon 2016 – Will it End with Wins for Andy Murray and Serena Williams?

With Wimbledon’s Round of 16 scheduled to start today, it’s time to take a look at what’s happened so far in the men’s and women’s singles events at this prestigious tennis competition – and to see what the second week could have in store.

Week One – Rain Stops Play Again and Again

Sadly, Wimbledon had more than its fair share of interruptions during the first week, thanks to the Great British weather, meaning that the organisers had to allow play to continue on Middle Sunday, traditionally a rest day, for only the fourth time in the tournament’s history. When the players were able to get on court, however, the action included everything tennis fans could want, including thrilling matches, tantrums and some surprising early exits.

The Men’s Singles Championship – Querrey Ends Djokovic’s Calendar Slam Hopes

The biggest upset to take place last week was caused by the 28th seed, Sam Querrey, who dispatched the favourite, Novac Djokovic, from the competition in the third round. The 6ft 6in American, ranked 41st in the world when the tournament began, beat the defending champion by 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6, to secure a fourth round tie with Nicolas Mahut.

Djokovic looked out of sorts throughout the match, which commenced on Friday but had to be finished on Saturday due to delays as a result of the rain, and many were questioning whether he was physically unwell or struggling psychologically during the game. Querrey, on the other hand, played spectacularly well, serving a whopping 31 aces during the course of the match.

Andy Murray’s journey into the round of sixteen was plain sailing, with the Scot looking in fantastic form. He beat fellow British player Liam Broady (6-2, 6-3, 6-4) in the opening round, and Yen-Hsun Lu of Tawain in the second (6-3, 6-2, 6-1), before defeating John Millman from Australia by 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the fourth round.

Despite the early exit of Murray’s main adversary, however, there are still plenty of players left in the tournament who have the potential to clinch the famous tennis trophy. He’ll face tougher opposition than he has in his earlier matches when he takes on Nick Kyrgios in the next round, and the likes of Roger Federer, Milos Raonic, Marin Čilić, and Bernard Tomic are also still title contenders.

The Women’s Singles Championship – Serena Battles Through While Other Favourites Fall

The first week of the competition has seen the departure of several of the pre-tournament favourites, although the defending champion, Serena Williams, is still in with a chance of lifting the trophy for the seventh time.

Her progress to the fourth round hasn’t been completely straightforward though. She won her opening match against Amra Sadikovic in straight sets (6-2, 6-4), and defeated her third round opponent, Annika Beck with ease (6-3, 6-0). In the second round, however, she was pushed to three sets by Christina McHale before she claimed the victory (6-7, 6-2, 6-4), and smashed her racket against the ground in frustration, earning herself a $10,000 fine.

Victoria Azarenka didn’t even make it to the tournament, having been forced to withdraw due to a knee injury she sustained in the French Open last month. The winner of that Grand Slam final, Garbiñe Muguruza, was knocked out in the second round by Jana Cepelova (6-3, 6-2), a player ranked 124th in the world before Wimbledon began.

Another seed to bite the dust before anyone expected was Petra Kvitova. The former double Wimbledon champion failed to make it into the third round, thanks to Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova, who defeated her in two sets (7-5, 7-6).

Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep, seeded third and fifth respectively, did manage to make it through to the fourth round, as did Angelique Kerber and Venus Williams. Whilst Serena is still undoubtedly the favourite to win the title, this year’s results have proved that even the biggest names and most reliable performers on court aren’t guaranteed to reach the final.

Do you think Andy Murray can win the trophy for the second time? Do you think anyone can beat Serena Williams? Leave a comment, or let us know on Twitter or Facebook.