She lives in Augusta now and is still ranked number one. But as the 1996 Olympics get closer, efforts to knock her off the U.S. team are heating up both on and off the court.

Rumors have popped up that Amy's marriage is in trouble. Her husband is a U.S. citizen and she is not. So if they divorced she would not be able to compete on the U.S. team. She has applied for citizenship but it will be more than a year before it comes through.

``I have had a little problem with my marriage, but my husband and I are still friends,'' Feng said before a workout at the U.S. Olympic Festival. ``We're trying to work out our problems.

``But I think someone wrote a letter saying I was getting a divorce and I wouldn't be a U.S. citizen before the Olympics. You know if someone is ranked lower and I'm not on the team they might move up and make the Olympics. I don't know why else anyone would bring all this up.''

At a minimum, talk about divorce has been a distraction, a disruption in her concentration. She hopes the situation will be settled in time for the United States Trials in December.

``At the U.S. Open, I didn't play that good,'' Feng said. ``I lost in the first round. Someone was talking and rustling papers next to the court.

``But my concentration is much better now. I don't worry about anything.''

When Feng is around the table tennis court she doesn't have anything to worry about. She won the silver metal in the 1994 U.S. Open, three gold medals in the 1993 Olympic Festival, the 1993 national championship and many other national and international tournaments.

Born in Tianjin, China, near Beijing, she begun playing table tennis at age 8.

``My father likes table tennis and he was my first coach,'' she said. ``He took me to the club and I just kept training.''

China's table tennis coaches produced most of the world's best players, so Feng kept learning as she moved through the system. Eventually, she left China for the freedom of the United States, but the move came with a price.

``The first time I went to this country I didn't practice a lot,'' Feng said, ``because you have to work and go to school. You can't make a living at table tennis.''

She moved from Maryland to Augusta because ``they have a good club and a good coach from China. They have the number one men's player (Jim Butler). They have a lot of great players. And everyone is very nice and friendly in Augusta.

``Pete May helps me a lot, too. Every time I have a problem he helps me.''

May's son Derek also is one of the top U.S. players. Pete May helped organize the Augusta club and helped create the atmosphere that has made it perhaps the top collection of table tennis talent in the country.

Feng is ranked in the top 40 women in the world, and thinks she can get to the top 20 if she works hard.

``I think I can get even better,'' she said ``I can beat some of the Chinese world championship players because I played with them when I lived in China. When you get to the top 30 or top 20 everyone can beat everyone else.