In the QFs against Carolina Marin today at the China Open PSS, He Bingjiao came close to winning it, holding matchpoint 20-19 in the 3rd set after one game apiece, 15-21, 24-22, but lost the deuce 20-22.
In terms of skills, I believe HBJ is as good, if not better, than CM, but loses out in terms of speed and fitness/stamina.
Glad to see HBJ has fighting spirit but I think her mental strength is somewhat wanting, not as tough as Marin.
I trust the Chinese coaches, Zhang Ning and assistants, and the Singles Head Coach, Xia Xuanze, can draw the right lessons from this grueling, hard-fought match, and know what areas to work on He Bingjiao's game.
Imho, I'd emphasize more on HBJ's mental aspects of the game and her speed of movement rather than techniques as she is a talented, creative and thinking player who is able to develop her strokes tactically coupled with her natural inclination to deceptiveness for which only the occasional pointers from the coaches are needed as and when called for.
As for her proneness to errors, I hope to see her mature as a player and grow out of it soon just as Tai Tzu Ying has done the past one year after the initial years of her career during which she was also very prone to errors. Consistency is key to success at the top.
Frankly, I like to watch HBJ play very much and consider her highly gifted but her lack of consistency as exhibited in her propensity for error at this stage of her young career is a serious concern, if the shortcoming is not addressed as soon as possible and with the competition in Team China so keen, I'm afraid she may be crowded out by her fellow teammates several of whom are very promising, such as Chen Yufei esp, Chen Xiaoxin, Cai Yanyan, Gao Fangjie, Zhang Yiman, Han Yue, Ji Shuting, Wang Zhiyi, and, who knows who else may emerge anytime. That would be such a waste of her talents and opportunities.
Don't forget, her renowned compatriot, Li Xuerui, is intent on making a comeback next year, and so does Sun Yu who is presently rehabilitating from her injury therapy,particularly it bears repeating there are only two Olympic tickets to Tokyo 2020.
He Bingjiao, time and tide wait for no one, strike while the iron is hot, make the most of your youth and talents. Live with no regrets. Go for it. You can do it. All the best. Jiayou !