Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court. Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the floor.

The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently than the balls used in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Shuttlecocks have a much higher top speed, when compared to other racquet sports. Because shuttlecock flight is affected by wind, competitive badminton is played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.

Wang Yihan (Chinese: 王仪涵; pinyin: Wáng yí hán; born January 18, 1988 in Shanghai) is a professional female badminton player from China and the reigning women's singles world champion. Wang started her career with her coach Wang Pengren at only nine years of age. She was selected for the junior team in 2004, and after being promoted to the senior team in 2006 she began to shine in major tournaments. By October 2009 she was the top ranked Women's singles player in the world. She is currently coached by Zhang Ning, twice Olympic gold medalist.

Wang appears to be one of China's rising badminton stars. She won girl's singles at both the Asian Junior and the World Junior Championships in 2006. In open international competition she captured the Badminton World Cup in 2006, and the Bitburger and Russian Opens in 2007. In September 2008 she defeated the Chinese-Hong Kong "veteran" Zhou Mi in the final of the Japan Open. The tourney is one of the Badminton World Federation's Super Series events which carry the highest level of prize money in the sport. In 2009 she won the Yonex German Open singles competition against fellow countrywoman Zhu Lin, and just one week later, at the age of 21, the prestigious All-England Championships against Denmark's Tine Rasmussen. Wang then went on to win the Wilson Swiss Open against compatriot Jiang Yanjiao (21–17, 17–21, 21–13). Wang won the Macau Open [7] for the first time in August 2009 when she again beat Jiang Yanjiao (16–21, 22–20, 21–12). In September 2009, Wang won her second YONEX Open Japan title by beating Wang Xin (21–8, 21–9). Wang then won the French Super Series in November when she emphatically beat top seed, and defending champion, Wang Lin (21–9, 21–12). Wang won her second title in a row, and her 5th BWF Super Series tournament of the year, when she beat Jiang Yanjiao (21–13, 21–15) in the Yonex Sunrise Hong Kong Open. This was also her 7th title overall in 2009.