The 28-year-old American, who will defend his title in Budapest this summer, said he was "up for any challenge" as he set sights on the man who beat him to the Olympic title in Tokyo and whom he has not had the opportunity of racing since.

"Track and field is a competitive sport, so any given day we can compete against the top guys in the world is a wonderful feeling," said Kerley.

"Hopefully he don’t duck out of this race.

"I’m in Morocco tomorrow so it’s on and popping."

The former 400m specialist, whose 9.88 clocking came in the heats ahead of a 9.91 victory in the final, is scheduled to meet Jacobs in a 100m "double header" at the Rabat Diamond League next Sunday (May 28) and again at the Florence Diamond League on June 2.

It will serve as an ideal appetiser for their anticipated contest at this summer's World Athletics Championships in Budapest from August 19 to 27.

Australia's Rohan Browning and Japan’s Ryuichiro Sakai, were effectively in a different contest as they both clocked 10.10.

While it was Kerley's first competition over the distance at which he holds the world title, he has already earned victories this season over 200m, in Melbourne and at the Doha Diamond League, where he won in 19.92sec.

He also won over 400m at the meeting in Sydney.

Elsewhere in the fourth World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting of the season, home long jumper Hiromichi Yoshida produced the performance of his life with a last-round effort of 8.26m - a personal best by 12cm - to defeat China’s world champion Wang Jianan, who managed 8.22m.

Just two centimetres separated the top two in the women’s long jump, with Germany’s Maryse Luzolo leaping a wind-assisted 6.79m to finish ahead of Australian record-holder Brooke Buschkuehl, who recorded 6.77m.

Australia's Commonwealth javelin silver medallist Mackenzie Little started her international campaign with a win with 64.10m in a competition where compatriot Kelsey-Lee Barber, the double world champion, finished third with 61.95m and Japan's world bronze medallist Haruka Kitaguchi was fourth with 61.34m.

South Korea's world indoor champion Sanghyeok Woo won the men's high jump with 2.29m.

Japanese 110m hurdles record-holder Shunsuke Izumiya impressed in his second competition of the season, missing his own national record mark by just 0.01 with a time of 13.07, bettered this season only by world champion Grant Holloway of the United States, who has clocked 13.03 and 13.05.

Japan's Yusaku Kodama broke 49 seconds for the first time in the men’s 400m hurdles, winning in 48.77sec.

Yuki Joseph Nakajima, 21, won the men’s 400m in 45.31sec.

Japan’s Ryuji Miura started his season in style in the 3,000m steeplechase as he sprinted away from Kenya’s Amos Kirui to win this title for the third year running as he clocked 8min 19.07sec, with the Kenyan clocking 8:20.86.

Meeting records fell in the 3000m races, with Kenya's 2021 world under-20 champion Teresia Muthoni Gateri winning the women's event in 8:43.81 and Japan's Hyuga Endo taking the men's event in 7:45.08.