Josh Binstock and Sam Schachter set Canada on their way to success against Kazakhstan, beating Alexey Kuleshov and Dmitriy Yakovlev 21-15, 21-18 before compatriots Sam Pedlow and Grant O’Gorman triumphed 21-18, 21-16 against Alexandr Dyachenko and Alexey Sidorenko.

Veterans Dmitri Barsouk and Nikita Liamin completed Russia’s win against Morocco, overcoming Zouheir Elgraoui and Mohamed Abicha 21-14, 21-18 after countrymen Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Artem Yarzutkin had defeated Adil Bsina and Mohamed al Hachdadi 21-9, 21-8.

Tomorrow, Binstock and Schachter will take on Barsouk and Liamin, while Pedlow and O’Gorman face Stoyanovskiy and Yarzutkin.

The prize for the pool winner is direct qualification for the semi-finals on Sunday (July 10) with second and third having to play in tomorrow afternoon’s quarter-finals.

"We’re excited," said Binstock.

"They are both good teams and we are good as well.

"So we’re excited for the challenge and we’re up for it."

In the women's competition, China and Austria topped Pools A and B respectively to advance to the semi-finals on Sunday and move within one win of securing a place at Rio 2016.

Both pools were decided with a golden set as China's Chen Xue and Xinyi Xia defeated Czech Republic's Marketa Slukova and Barbora Hermannova 15-9, while Austria's Stefanie Schwaiger and Katharina Schützenhöfer toppled Vanuatu's Linline Matauatu and Miller Pata 15-12. 

At the FIVB Gstaad Major Series event, defending champions and top seeds Talita Antunes and Larissa Franca of Brazil beat Italy’s Marta Menegatti and Viktoria Orsi Toth 21-16, 21-14 to reach the semi-finals.

Awaiting them in the last four are seventh-seeded Madelein Meppelink and Marleen Van Iersel of The Netherlands, who defeated the United States’ Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat 17-21, 21-16, 15-13.

The other semi-final pits second seeds April Ross and Kerri Walsh-Jennings of the US against third-seeded Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst of Germany.

Ross and Walsh-Jennings beat Germany’s Katrin Holtwick and Ilka Semmler 21-17, 21-17, while Ludwig and Walkenhorst defeated fellow Germans Chantal Laboureur and Julia Sude 21-19, 21-17.

In the men’s competition, number one seeds and holders Alison Cerutti and Bruno Oscar Schmidt of Brazil secured first place in Pool A by beating Italy’s Adrian Carambula and Alex Ranghieri 21-15, 18-21, 15-11.

It means the pair have received a first-round bye in the elimination phase and tomorrow will face the winner of the match between Poland’s Michal Kadziola and Jakub Szalankiewicz and Brazil's Vitor Felipe and Alvaro Filho.