He Bingjiao performs remarkably at the ongoing INA Open GPG beating P V Sindhu en route to the final to face her fellow teammate Chen Yufei who is also playing above expectation to set up an All-CHN WS Final. Actually, I'm waiting to see how HBJ handles opponents who can get a lot back. She has a taste of it from Mitani at last week's MAcau Open GPG but in that match HBJ was too erratic. I look forward to seeing HBJ at her best up against a superb retrieval. That's why I suggested that she trains more with WSX to strengthen her attack into an even more penetrating and relentless one. That coupled with a more solid defence, superb would be excellent, and she will become a truly formidable player, fearsome. Without doubt Chen Jin must be pretty pleased to know both his new,young charges, one 17 and the other 18 years old, are squaring off for the title tomorrow. How I wish these two young,highly talented aspirants rise fast enough to take on the very best in the rest of the world soon, the sooner the better, to reestablish the preeminent position of CHN WS again.
Yes both HBJ and Chen Yufei did well but as you said Justin, the opposition wasn't strong. Sindhu was off colour. There is still a lot of work to do especially in defence against strong attackers. It was noticeable that faced with a strong smash both of them couldn't handle the speed. Anticipation ala Chen Long is needed and good retrieval. All this is helped if they have strength (strong legs) and good stamina.I look forward to them facing the ROW next year. But I must give my congratulations to the coaches of the juniors. Their behaviour on court is exemplary. They don't squeal, grunt or shriek and they don't celebrate when they win a point off a mistake by the opposition!! They also return the shuttle to their opponent rather than flicking it under the net. Well Done CBA.
Though she defeated Sindhu, i must say that Sindhu was not at her best . After taking macau open title by beating so many good players on the way to the finals , such as Akane Yamaguchi, Lindaweni, Minatsu Mitani, Kim hyo min etc, she should be in fatigue . She did not play well. I will give time to Chen yufei than He bingjiao. HeBingjiao seems to me as overrated after seeing her performances in two world junior championships. Chen Yufei is good player.
Time will tell how good HBJ is, soon. To me, she is a more intelligent,thinking player, than Chen Yufei, and deceptive too as well as creative and artistic. My main concern is her proneness to error and inconsistency, perhaps still a little suspect in fitness, but all these shortcomings can be addressed as she is still quite young at 18. Let's wait and see. While Sindhu is apparently not at her best but I also noticed she wasn't allowed to play her usual game against HBJ who kept her guessing most of the time,that's worrisome for her. I watched the replay again, and I must say that match was HBJ's best in the tournament. She was particularly motivated, very positive and was sharp and forceful in attack and good in defence, reducing Sindhu to being more reactive and passive quite often. But as I've said, one match doesn't prove anything; I look forward to next future encounters. Nonetheless, one thing is for sure, He Bingjiao can only get better, and time is on her side. The same applies to Chen Yufei, no doubt. At the INA Open GPG, these two lasses exceeded my expectations. It's early days yet to say how far they will go, I won't get carried away at the moment. However, there are unmistakable signs of their promise and talents. Let the future tell.
Agree with you on Sindhu's performance. But although C Yufei has potential I am afraid HBJ has more natural talent and should prevail.
Right, in the final of the INA Open GPG, He Bingjiao proves she is the better player by far than Chen Yufei, for the time being at least.
He Bingjiao, work harder on your physical training (with professional guidance,of course), lose some weight,become leaner, strengthen your muscles and, most importantly, improve on your stamina, I urge you. Then I'm pretty sure you'd be vying for top honours with the best of the best, sooner than anybody expected.
A very impressive performance by HBJ in Basel. She has improved her game and stamina. She has good strokes and deception,but she still needs a more powerful smash. Her cross court smashes are v good but she needs to have a similar one down the line or a reverse drop smash to mix things up. It was noticeable when ever SY does a good smash she is vulnerable. So it would be interesting to see whether she can handle CM and NO attacking smashes. Her game is so interesting to watch, as is LXR, but her footwork, strength and stamina is much better than LXR Well done HBJ, and the coaches, and keep improving. Lets see you play a great game against WY tomorrow.
Just seen her live winning the final of the Swiss Open against Wang Yihan. Wow, what an impressive match! I loved her attitude and powerful presence on court. I have never noticed her before really but from now on, I will definitely watch her performances more closely. And by the way - you can hardly find two players with more different body constitutions than HBJ and WYH... soooo funny...
Of course you can. Her last two opponents provided even more dramatic contrast: Sun Yu and PV Sindu. The match against Sindu can be found here: The match against Wang YiHan:
In winning the Swiss Open, HBJ's opponents were all good and established players. The game against RI wasn't easy. She played against someone who had all the skills to win a world championships and other titles too. Ratchanok tried to win in two games but HBJ's mental toughness,skills and patience saw her through that game and the third as well in 1 hour and two minutes. SU, PVS and WY were all keen to show that they were revitalised after the AE, but they couldn't handle the deceptive skills of HBJ, and their frustration caused them to commit many unforced errors. Is it too early to say that a new star is on the scene? What is impressive about HBJ in this tournament is she won against opponents who had different styles and she coped so well. I am certainly looking forward to her next tournament.
I have been a big critic of the CBA's handling of the junior players and HBJ in particular. I have also said that SY had showed much better progress than HBJ in 2016. SY has improved her speed, power, stamina and guile as well, and her performance at the ABC recently where she turned the tide against the Japanese women was impressive. So I was surprised HBJ was able to dismantle SY's game so easily at the Swiss Open. How did HBJ ,in particular improve her game so remarkably ? Could I have been wrong to ask for exposure for the juniors at an early age? Both AY and Ri as well as some of the Thailand juniors have remained "static" since there were wunderkids. I have said that HBJ's game was still at WIP stage but in this tournament there were none of that. Her confidence and poise were eminent. Well done her coaches. Lets hope the CBA has also done the same to the juniors playing in NZ tomorrow.
He BingJiao's shot making ability has long been known. Compared to last year, she has significantly improved on two fronts: (1) the explosiveness in strength Her fancy shots are no longer just for show but for the score. She still has some way to go but the added sting in her shots already made a world of difference. This can also allow her to finish the rally or even the match early to save her energy. (2) her tactical awareness Her duel with Akane Yamaguchi at the Junior Olympics was a straight forward affair (see the video in an earlier post). Both players just pounded away at each other. He BingJiao's matches again RI, PVS, SY and WYH were something totally different. She now puts her shot making ability to much more effective use.
She definitely had a tough way to reach that Swiss Open finals which makes her win even more impressive. Beating the defending champion SY, Number 2 seed RI, PVS and the winner of 2014 WYH during this week, this should give her self confidence a massive boost. What was also pretty remarkable was how much the spectators in the audience were cheering for her - and let me tell you that only a handful of the viewers were Chinese. She really was kind of everybody's favorite in there. Her powerful and passionate appearance on court combined with her fancy and all-or-nothing shots (her jump smashes are awesome by the way...) just made it so much fun to watch her. And I bet that 99% of all hobby players who were watching the match yesterday were sharing the same thought: "I only wish I was able to play just a liiiittle bit like her!". And what came to my mind: I want to see her play against Tai Tzu Ying! I suppose it's close to impossible to get more entertainment from a badminton match.
Thanks for sharing your first hand impression. Watching many top players, Lin Dan included, you would admire that they train so hard to be so perfect. Watching He BingJiao, one can't help but wonder whether she was born with those techniques. That's the difference.
I am afraid even for badminton, genius is 1% natural gift and 99% perspiration. what we see as a beautiful and effortless looking display of badminton has many hours and years of practice behind them.
I fully agree too that. Still there are some shots that she plays with a technique that is far from what is considered to be "the right way" according to books and most coaches. For example just look at her elbow and racket movement when she smashes. Quite unique. What I have seen yesterday looked to me as if she is currently still living off her talent a lot. Now imagine what potential is there if she adds the hard work to that.
