4. HS Prannoy
With his attacking play, India’s HS Prannoy possesses the skills to beat the best in the business and contend for the top titles. The seventh seed is no stranger to making giant-killing runs and if he can keep his errors at bay, he is a danger for the top players at any tournament.
Another quality that stands out about the 23rd ranked Indian is that he is fearless and he showed that in abundance last week at the Singapore Open where he was just two points away from stunning the World No. 1 Chen Long. This season, he is gradually coming back to form which was evidenced by his big win at the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold in March.
At the China Masters, he started the first round with a tough three-game win over Malaysia’s Joo Ven Soong and would definitely concentrate on improving further as the tournament progresses.