The 23-year-old successfully defended his 100 metres backstroke crown at last month's World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju in South Korea and will now look to star in front of his home crowd.

Yan Zibei, who won bronze in Gwangju in the 100m breaststroke, is another hoping to impress in home water at the Natatorium of the Jinan Olympic Sport Centre.

Controversial swimmer Sun Yang will not compete at his home event, however.

The triple Olympic gold medallist became an 11-time world champion after two titles in Gwangju but was the subject of podium protests by Australia's Mack Horton and Britain's Duncan Scott due to his doping history.

Sun served a three-months drugs ban in 2014 and is at the centre of a case where a blood sample was allegedly smashed with a hammer following an argument with testers earlier this year. 

He was allowed to compete in Gwangju after receiving a warning from the International Swimming Federation (FINA) but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has taken the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where proceedings are ongoing.

If CAS rules in WADA's favour Sun could receive a lifetime ban after his earlier suspension for prohibited substance trimetazidine.

There will be seven World Cup legs across the world this season with swimmers collecting points for their performances.

Action takes place in a short course pool with the first stop of the campaign concluding in Japanese capital Tokyo on Sunday (August 4).

Russia's freestyle and medley specialist Vladimir Morozov leads the men's table after the action in the 2020 Olympic host city, boasting 48 points as he bids to defend the overall World Cup title and win it for a third time in all.

Andrew Wilson of the United States, who won two relay silver medals in Gwangju, and Japan's Yasuhiro Koseki both have 42 in second place.

Koseki will not be able to improve on his score, however, as Japan has opted not to send a team to Jinan.

Hungary's three-time Olympic champion and nine-time world champion Katinka Hosszú leads the women's table with 54 points after Tokyo.

She is aiming to win the World Cup for the sixth time and for the first time since 2016.

Double Olympic medallist and four-time world champion Cate Campbell is second for Australia with 45 points with her team-mate Emily Seebohm, the holder of two Olympic and five world gold medals, third on 36.

Sweden's Sarah Sjöström is the defending women's World Cup champion, with the circuit organised by FINA.

Action in Jinan will conclude on Saturday (August 10).