The Chinese pair, the 2017 world champions, won the World Tour Finals on home soil in Guangzhou as the 2019 season concluded last month.

They were straight back into action at the 2020 curtain raiser today and saw off compatriots Dong Wenjing and Feng Xueying 21-17, 21-19 in round one in Kuala Lumpur.

Only the women's doubles and men's doubles saw main draw action on the first day at Axiata Arena.

No big names fell in the women's competition, with Japan's reigning Olympic champions Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi among others to go through.

The Rio 2016 winners, the fourth seeds, beat Thailand's Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai 21-10, 21-17.

Their compatriots and second seeds Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota also advanced, as the three-time World Championship silver medallists and defending Malaysia Masters champions beat Canada's Rachel Honderich and Kristen Tsai 21-10, 21-9.

In the men's doubles, Indonesia's top seeds Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, the defending champions, were not in action.

Their second-seeded compatriots Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, the reigning world champions, did go through, however, by beating China's Ou Xuanyi and Zhang Nan 21-19, 24-22.

China's Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen, the third seeds and 2018 world champions, saw off Dutch pair Jelle Maas and Robin Tabeling 21-11, 21-12.

Japan's Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda, seeded fourth, knocked out Indonesia's Wahyu Nayaka and Ade Yusuf Santoso 21-10, 21-19.

The Super 500 World Tour competition continues tomorrow with the singles and mixed doubles beginning.