Johnny feels good about young Chinese stars and himself

AT the age of 31, Canadian ace Johnny Huang feels that he is playing the best table tennis of his life and says he is encouraged by the development of the young Chinese players coming up on the tour.

In town for the start of the two-day Epson World All-Stars tournament at Southorn Stadium and fresh off a win at last weeks Table Tennis Cup in Japan, Huang said the development of young Chinese stars has been really strong in the last few years.

And he predicts that China will end the European dominance at next year's World Championships.

''In Europe they are all old players and they don't have any younger players to replace them,'' said Huang, currently ranked number 13 in the world. ''Guys like Jan-Ove Waldner and Jean-Michel Saive are still good, but they can be beaten. You need to have the younger players.'' Huang laughs when asked about European domination of his sport and said that the Hong Kong tournament which features China's Ma Wenge and Wang Tao, the number three and four rated players in the world respectively, is about the best table tennis around.

Currently playing in the highly competitive French circuit, Huang, a native of Guangdong, said he was feeling confident after knocking off both Wang and Ma for the win in Japan. He hopes his solid play will continue through the weekend in the eight-man knockout competition and on to the World Championships in Tianjin.

''I still feel that I can play at a top level,'' said the former Chinese national player who immigrated to Toronto seven years ago. ''In 1987 when I played my last All-China National Games, I beat a lot of good players. I think if I get the chance to play in the world championships, I can do better.'' Huang said he would probably play competitively for another three years and then try his hand at coaching the Canadian national team.