The North American side triumphed 4-1 after surviving a scare.

Michelle Li initially struggled against lower-ranked Australian opponent Wendy Chen before winning 2-1 before Rachel Honderich thrashed Jennifer Tam 2-0 in straight sets.

Australia stayed in the contest as Gronya Somerville and Renuga Veeran won the doubles 2-0 against Michelle Tong and Josephine Wu.

But then Brittney Tam proved far too good for Lauren Lim in a 21-9, 21-5 win to guarantee the victory, 

"This is the first time Canada are in the quarter-finals, so I’m really excited to see who we’re playing," said Tam.

"I’d played her [Lauren Lim] last year and I beat her comfortably, so I felt confident going into the match. 

"However, this is a big event, so I was a bit nervous."

Japan beat India 5-0 today to win Group A and progress with the second-placed Canadians. 

This included a thrilling win for Akane Yamaguchi 22-20 in the deciding third game against Saina Nehwal.

Hosts Thailand edged Chinese Taipei 3-2 in Group B in a tie where both teams progressed to the quarter-finals.

Hong Kong had the consolation of a 4-1 win over Germany elsewhere in the group.

In Group D, China edged Indonesia 3-2 as both teams also progressed.

Malaysia thrashed France 5-0 elsewhere in the group.

In the corresponding men's Thomas Cup, Japan topped Group C today after a 5-0 win over Chinese Taipei, who also qualified.

Hong Kong beat Germany 3-2 elsewhere in the group.