Eyeing a world crown on home soil later this year, Australia's Matt Hauser has made strong start to the world triathlon championship series season winning silver.

Hauser finished second behind New Zealand's Paris Olympics silver medallist Hayden Wilde at the series opener in Abu Dhabi.

The road to the world triathlon championship finals in Wollongong in October officially kicked off for the world's top triathletes, with the sprint distance race marking the start of the seven-stop series.

Hauser, who finished an admirable seventh in Paris, wasted no time setting the pace early.

He led the swim from start to finish before pushing the pace in a lead group on the bike leg, with Wilde powering through the chase group to bridge the gap.

On the fourth of five laps, the Kiwi ace made his move, launching a breakaway with Switzerland's Simon Westermann and Austrian Tjebbe Kaindl to open a 10-second gap.

But the field quickly regrouped and the duo as well as Hauser and Portgual's Vasco Vilaca led out the run leg, with the Kiwi upping the tempo early.

By the bell, Vilaca had dropped off, leaving Hauser and Wilde to battle for gold over the final 2.5km.

The two went stride for stride until Wilde threw down the gauntlet in the closing stages, holding his advantage for a victory by just two seconds.

Despite the heartbreak of coming so close to taking the win, Hauser took plenty of positives from his performance.

"It's always tough getting second, it's a tough pill to swallow especially when you're there the whole way," said Hauser, who celebrated with a "shoey".

"I felt really good out of the swim, felt really good on the bike, but I just couldn't hold on in the end.

"I just kept saying to myself 'stay in the game, stay in the game.' I got out of T2 (transition two) and really held my position well.

"I just didn't quite get him in the end."

The podium finish sets a strong foundation for the year ahead, and the Queenslander is eager to build on the momentum.

"It was great fun out there. I can't wait for the next one. This is why we love doing it, we love racing - it's good to be back," Hauser added.

Australian teammates, Brandon Copeland and Callum McClusky, finished 24th and 37th respectively.