The reigning world champion and Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist is due face Hsu Jen-hao of Chinese Taipei in his first round match at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta, the city which will co-host the 2018 Asian Games in August, in a tournament due to start tomorrow and finish next Sunday (January 28). 

His closest challenger in this HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500 event will be China's Chen Long, the Rio 2016 gold medallist, after the withdrawal of India's Srikanth Kidambi who had been seeded second.

Chen will be in the third section of the draw and will face Axelsen's compatriot Anders Antonsen in his first round match.

Twelve-time BWF Superseries champion and world number one Tai Tzu-ying of Chinese Taipei will be the favourite for the women's singles event ,despite losing to Thailand's Ratchankok Intanon in the final of the Malaysian Masters last week.

India's Rio 2016 silver medallist P V Sindhu, who has never gone beyond the second round in Indonesia, has been given the number two seeding after an excellent 2017 in which she won six women's singles titles.

Malaysia Masters winner Intanon is seeded fourth. 

Unsurprisingly, home athletes Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo will be the favourites for the men's doubles title.

The duo won seven BWF Superseries titles in 2017, including the World Superseries Final in Dubai, and will be looking to win their first of 2018 on home turf.

Li Junhi and Liu Yuchen, the 2017 Asia Championships gold medallists, have been given the second seeding.

Despite only finishing second at the last event in Malaysia, China's Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan have been announced as the number one seeding for the women's doubles tournament in Indonesia.

Qingchen and Jia, who have won six BWF Superseries titles as a pair, will start their campaign off against home athletes Zarra Faza Azka and Brigita Marcelia Rumambi.

Olympic champions Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsutomo of Japan have been named as the second seeds.

Along with Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo in the men's doubles, Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir could be a source of glory for the host nation.

The Rio 2016 gold medal winners and number one seeds are due to face compatriots Riky Widianto and Masita Mahmudin in their first match.

Ahmad and Natsir's closest challengers for the gold medal will be Chinese pair Wang Yilü and Huang Dongping, who are seeded second.