Top Seeds Head Towards World Team Championships Quarter-Finals

The top four seeds earned their second successive victories on the second day of qualifying action in the Lexus of Edmonton WSF Women's World Team Championship in Edmonton, Canada.

Favourites England are through to the quarter-finals after beating Hong Kong 3/0 in Pool A, but Hong Kong, the eighth seeds and ninth seeds Ireland are poised for a battle to join them.

Hosts Canada made up for their shock first day loss to France by beating 15th seeds Spain 3/0 in Pool B. Second seeds Egypt brushed aside France, the 10th seeds, 3/0 - leaving seventh seeds Canada consigned to missing out on a top eight finish unless they can improbably beat Pool favourites Egypt in the final qualifying round - or squeeze through on countback should the French team to lose to Spain.

France suffered a setback when squad number one Isabelle Stoehr was forced to retire early in fifth game of her match with Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy, with a recurrence of the foot problem that hindered her progress in last week's British Open.

Stoehr opened up a two-game lead against Kawy, ranked seven places higher in the world, before going down 4-9, 9-10, 9-4, 10-8, 2-0 in 54 minutes. "I felt it in the middle of the fourth when I pushed off. It was like a knife through my muscle. I could be out for a few weeks," said the disconsolate 27-year-old as she limped away from the centre court clutching an ice pack.

Pool C hinges on the winners of New Zealand v USA for second spot behind third seeds Malaysia, who beat New Zealand 2/1 when world number one Nicol David crushed the kiwi number one Shelley Kitchen 9-1, 9-3, 9-4 in the decider.

Pool D, rocked by the first day's defeat of defending champions Australia by South Africa, saw fourth seeds Netherlands beat South Africa, the 12th seeds, 3/0 and fifth seeds Australia redeem themselves with a 3/0 win over 13th seeds Germany. The likely battle for second place behind Netherlands could be influenced by a knee injury sustained by South Africa's first round heroine Claire Nitch. South Africa need to beat Germany to claim an unexpected place in the last eight.

Nitch, the 35-year-old from Johannesburg who retired from the WISPA World Tour six years ago, injured the knee in her 9-3, 9-2, 3-9, 9-3 loss to Dutch No2 Annelize Naude. "I tried to get my head out of the way, my body went one way and my knee didn't follow,' said the South African as she held an ice pack to her strained knee. "I hope I will be able to play later in the week."

2nd Qualifying rounds - Pool A:
[1] ENGLAND bt [8] HONG KONG 3-0
Alison Waters bt Joey Chan 9-4, 9-0, 9-3 (23m)
Vicky Botwright bt Annie Au 9-0, 9-1, 9-1 (19m)
Tania Bailey bt Christina Mak 9-1, 9-1, 9-0 (20m)
[9] IRELAND bt [16] AUSTRIA 3-0
Eleanor Lapthorne bt Kornelia Hofer 9-0, 9-5, 9-0 (25m)
Laura Mylotte bt Birgit Coufal 9-10, 9-0, 9-1, 9-1 (27m)
Aisling Blake bt Pamela Pancis 9-4, 10-8, 9-7 (39m)

Pool B:
[2] EGYPT bt [10] FRANCE 3-0
Raneem El Weleily bt Soraya Renai 9-4, 9-3, 9-7 (27m)
Engy Kheirallah bt Camille Serme 9-1, 9-4, 9-1 (21m)
Omneya Abdel Kawy bt Isabelle Stoehr 4-9, 9-10, 9-4, 10-8, 2-0 ret. (54m)
[7] CANADA bt [15] SPAIN 3-0
Alana Miller bt Margaux Moros-Pitarch 9-2, 9-2, 9-0 (20m)
Carolyn Russell bt Chantal Moros-Pitarch 9-5, 9-1, 9-1 (25m)
Runa Reta bt Elisabet Sado 9-1, 9-3, 9-1 (24m)

Pool C:
[3] MALAYSIA bt [6] NEW ZEALAND 2-1
Tricia Chuah bt Louise Crome 10-8, 10-9, 9-4 (35m)
Sharon Wee lost to Jaclyn Hawkes 9-3, 7-9, 4-9, 5-9 (36m)
Nicol David bt Shelley Kitchen 9-1, 9-3, 9-4 (35m)
[11] USA bt [14] JAPAN 2-1
Louisa Hall bt Kozue Onizawa 9-3, 9-1, 9-6 (28m)
Meredeth Quick lost to Chinatsu Matsui 2-9, 4-9, 9-5, 0-9 (25m)
Latasha Khan bt Mami Nishio 9-0, 9-4, 9-6 (35m)

Pool D:
[4] NETHERLANDS bt [12] SOUTH AFRICA 3-0
Orla Noom bt Diana Argyle 6-9, 9-6, 1-9, 9-5, 9-0 (55m)
Annelize Naude bt Claire Nitch 9-3, 9-2, 3-9, 9-3 (35m)
Vanessa Atkinson bt Tenille Swartz 9-2, 9-0, 9-1 (22m)
[5] AUSTRALIA bt [13] GERMANY 3-0
Dianne Desira bt Kathrin Rohrmueller 0-9, 2-9, 9-0, 9-6, 9-6 (50m)
Melissa Martin bt Katharina Witt 9-2, 9-2, 6-9, 9-3 (33m)
Kasey Brown bt Daniela Schumann 9-2, 9-1, 9-2 (37m)