Wang Yihan
2016 saw Wang Yihan returning to the top 3 in the World rankings, with her consistent display in the tournaments. She was the runner up in the 2016 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold event, losing to young Chinese He Bingjiao in the final. She won the Asian Championship title for the 3rd time, beating out Li Xuerui. She had defeated Li in 2013 also. She then sailed through to the finals of 2016 Indonesia Super Series Premier, which included her 2nd consecutive victory over 2-time reigning World Champion Carolina Marín in semifinal. However she lost to Tai Tzu-ying in final showdown. With her impressive display, Chinese coaches selected her as a 2nd candidate from China to contest the upcoming Olympic games. Hence, in the final moment, her teammate Shixian was ruled out and she was sent to Rio with already qualified Li Xuerui (defending Olympic champion). Her campaign ended in disappointment, as, even though she was a 2nd seed, she lost to surprise quarterfinalist P. V. Sindhu, the 9th seed with 2 tough games. Wang Yihan then announced her retirement from professional badminton. Wang had a very illustrious career, she has won thirty singles titles, including four Super Series Premier titles, fifteen Super Series titles, and one Super Series Finals title.