The world number one and back-to-back world champion suffered a shock quarter-final defeat to Indonesia's Anthony Sinisuka Ginting at last month's BWF French Open in Paris.

He went into that event on the back of three consecutive tournament wins, in China, Korea and Denmark.

They followed him successfully defending his world title in Swiss city Basel in August.

Momota had initially been scheduled to begin the defence of his BWF Fuzhou China Open title against Srikanth Kidambi, but the Indian has pulled out of the World Tour Super 750 tournament and has been replaced by Malaysia's Liew Daren in facing the Japanese.

World number two Chou Tien Chen is seeded second and will open his campaign at the Haixia Olympic Sports Center against fellow Taiwanese Wang Tzu Wei.

Shi Yuqi, who lost to Thailand's Sitthikom Thammasin in yesterday's final at the BWF Macau Open, is the highest-seeded home player in the men's draw at number three.

Standing between him and a place in the second round is South Korea's Son Wan Ho.

In the women's singles event, Chinese Taipei's Tai Tzu Ying is the top seed with the world number two set to meet reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marín of Spain in a mouthwatering first-round clash.

Second seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan will start her bid for glory with a match against Malaysia's Soniia Cheah, while third seed Chen Yufei of China faces Russia's Evgeniya Kosetskaya and fourth-seeded Japanese Nozomi Okuhara, the world number one, goes up against China's Chen Xiao Xin.