The stage totalled 124.5 kilometres with sprint points on offer at the first and third laps.

A breakaway group of four riders took the initiative first with Britain's Owain Doull from Teak Sky, Italy's Manuele Boaro of Bahrain-Merida, Germany's Jasha Sütterlin from Movistar and Belgium's Nathan van Hooydonck from the BMC Racing Team going to the front.

Careful not to let the sprinters go too far ahead, the peloton reined in the breakaway group in, with Quick Step Floors working hard to put Jakobsen in position.

With the wide roads of the city circuit, Jakobsen’s team led him down the middle of the sprint finish as challengers, Germany's Pascal Ackermann and Max Walscheid took the wider routes.

Jakobsen managed to take the victory at the rain-soaked finish as Ackermann, representing Bora-Hansgrohe and the winner of yesterday's stage, was second with Team Sunweb’s Walscheid third.

"Today I just followed the team because in the last two days I went a bit rogue and did it on my own," Jakobsen told Cycling News.

"I was a bit nervous I think, I know I’m fast but that I could pass is amazing.

"This one is because of the team and because of my sprint."

With fellow Dutch rider, Dylan Groenewegen, the stage one winner competing for LottoNL-Jumbo, in fourth, Jakobsen takes the red jersey and the overall lead going into stage four.

Jakobsen now leads Ackermann by four seconds with Groenewegen in third, six seconds behind the leader.

In his debut season at UCI WorldTour level with his team, the 22-year-old Jakobsen has now won six stages this year.

Tomorrow’s stage four, though, is expected to test many of the riders as the 152.2km leg from Nanning to the Mashan Nongla Scenic Spot culminates in an uphill finish.