Hey Panda, great first post. I don't know your playing level and the things you can do vs a harbat payer are different for one level and different again for a much higher level player.
In general, the higher level player you are, the more consistent you can land your shots, and probably can keep that consistency with more difficult shots and with higher quality shots.
That is a general condition true for any style of player.
It is real important that you understand what you can and cannot do with an acceptable level of consistency and quality. Trying to work outside this will certainly cause you to miss shots and lose points needlessly. On the other hand, you have to try tactics and shots uncomfortable to you and FAIL at them (repeatedly) in order for you to learn and grow.
There are two schools of though on a subject like this.
1) Play to win and use whatever tactic and shot you can do to pull out the win.
2) Learn sound tactics (or discover them by trying different things out) and tryout your tactics/shots in the match with the expectation that you will not yet have perfected the timing and technical things needed to do what you intend. However, the match vs that player or playing style is used as TRAINING and experimentation.
#2 has the benefits of
A) Practicing without the stress or pressure of having to win
B) Practicing thinking in the point
C) Thinking more about your placement and quality of shot
D) Paying more attention to reading the spin (or lack) (that leads to overall improvement vs anyone)
E) Thinking about what makes a tactic and shot effective
F) Practicing things that already trouble you (which you perform better with time and overall will improve your level)
As you can see, #2 has a lot more things to it that will help you grow as a player and get better. All #1 does is get you to win a match (hopefully) and it doesn't do a lot to grow your overall level, except that you got a repetition vs a player whose style troubles you. That counts for something, but doesn't grow your game like #2
Having said that, you got some things to consider. This approach can be used vs any player.
You have to look at what your opponent can and cannot do.
SPIN - In theory, a hardbat cannot generate overwhelming amounts of spin. In a match, they play without creating heavy spin. They can make some, but not a lot, like inverted rubbers produce.
Pace - Hardbats are not nearly as fast as any inverted bat on top end
This makes the hardbat player use other weapons vs you... PLACEMENT, DEPTH, SUDDENESS, DECEPTION
Placement - A hardbat player can win a lot of points by either hitting right at your armpit and make you move (player often fails to make a good attack having to move much or off balance) (or player DOESNT move and tries to attack for an EPIC FAIL vid) A hardbat layer also uses your shallow shots against you by using wide angles. Once he gets you at a wide angle, all he has to do is keep going opposite direction and run you around until he is sick of cat/mouse game or you miss.
Depth - A hardbat player is really good at landing the ball deep to take away your angles.this also troubles you for blocking and attacking. You would tend to either be passive, or make a mistake attacking. Even if you attack, your possible angles are greatly reduced and hardbat player can cover the entire table by standing there or with just one step.
Suddenness - Hardbat players take the ball early and rush you into a failure.
Deception - Some hardbat players are really good at making a last instant change of wrist position to make the ball go the other way once they sold you and the direction.
SO... how do you cope with that?
Placement - You need to control the placement game first. try placing the ball at THEIR armpit for a dose of their own medicine. Whatever you do, place the ball DEEP. There is nothing me=ore troublesome to a hardbat player who gets a ball deep to their armpit, which he often chicken wing blocks, thhen you make a loopdrive away from him for a winner! He also hates it if he messes up and gives you a short ball that YOU start the side to side cat/mouse game. All in all, you do better by placing the ball deep, and also at his weak zone. Sometimes a hardbat player is weak in one zone, find out what it is.
Depth - keep the ball deep as much as you can
Deception - if you can keep the ball deep, his last instant change of direction will not be that severe and you can cope with it.
Suddeness - if you keep the ball deep, the hardbat player cannot rush you by taking the ball off the bounce. If you ball is shallow, hardbat player rushes you with off the bounce block/counter and has a lot of angles to work with. That can be a lot to cope with. KEEP THE BALL DEEP and you will minimize that damage a lot.
I said nothing about your SPIN advantage. Spin will help the control of your topspin attacks or control shots, but can you consistently spin the ball and still land it without a mistake? If the answer is yes, you are a higher level player and use that advantage for control. Hardbat players HATE really heavy topsin balls slow that land deep. those are hard to block. hardbat players are very good at pick hitting and will kill any high shallow topspin, so land it heavy and deep and watch the hardbat player really struggle vs you. If you cannot spin heavy, you can change spin and still keep it deep.
These are few things to consider. Use your common sense and discover what works for you.