Serena Williams beat Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets to give the United States a 2-0 lead in their Fed Cup qualifier against Latvia.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion defeated 2017 French Open winner Ostapenko 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3).

That came after newly-crowned Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-2 6-2 in the first rubber.

"It's been a long journey. It wasn't easy," said world number seven Kenin.

"But I was super happy to come here and play with the team."

Williams added: "I'm really proud of being able to get the win for the team. I'm really excited that I was able to go through it.''

The qualifier, taking place in Everett, Washington, continues from 23:30 GMT with Kenin taking on Ostapenko in the third rubber.

The winners of the best-of-five tie will be one of 12 nations in April's new-look Fed Cup Finals.

England coach Eddie Jones "plays a straight bat" in his "easiest interview yet" with BBC Sport's Sonja McLaughlan before his side's Six Nations Calcutta Cup match against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Watch live coverage of Scotland v England on BBC One and iPlayer from 16:00 GMT on Saturday.

SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. — Chaz Baca claimed the first race of the six events on the Arizona Dirt Track Tour in the IMCA modified division on Friday night at Arizona Speedway.

His victory paid $2,000 with payouts at a record high for the fourth year of the series.

A 52-car field drew for heat race starting spots with the winner of each heat moving to the main. With six heats, the top 10 in passing/finishing points joined the heat winners to fill the first eight rows.

Four additional drivers from each of a pair of B mains filled the grid. The top six in points were inverted at the front of the field.

The 25-lap main was a duel between Baca and Ricky Thornton Jr. the entire distance. Thornton led until lap 12 when Baca took the lead with a drive out of turn four. The last 13 laps had a classic duel between the pair with Thornton trying every move known to try and regain the lead.

But Baca made no mistakes and used the top groove to post the win over Thornton and Collen Winebarger.

The 32 IMCA sport mods ran four heats with the winners and top 12 in points moving to the main with the top six in points inverted. An additional eight drivers from the B-main completed the field.

The 20-lap main offered $750 to win and, despite seven yellow flags, excellent racing was displayed among the drivers dicing for a podium finish. Austen Becerra led nine laps before Tyler Soppe was able to lead just a single time around the racy three-eighths-mile dirt track.

Lap 11 became the turning point when Brian Osantowski used the top groove to lead the final 10 laps for the win. Tenth-starting Cody Thompson was second ahead of Soppe as Osantowski took the checkers.

Twenty IMCA stock cars ran two heats with the top 16 in points filling eight rows, again inverting the top six in points.

Ricky Thornton Jr. started in fourth and used the top of turns one and two to lead  by halfway down the backstretch on the opening lap.  A cluster of stock cars battled for second numerous laps before Chanse Hollatz broke away but couldn’t catch Thornton.

The series continues Saturday at Arizona Speedway before moving to Casa Grande’s fairgrounds track.

BARBERVILLE, Fla. — One of the most popular nights during the 49th DIRTcar Nationals presented by Bozard Ford for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds is the Night of Features.

Night No. 4 at Volusia Speedway Park set up every DIRTcar UMP Modified on the property to race in a feature for a chance at a coveted Gator.

The first of four features was comprised of the top 20 in the current points standings coming into the night. With an inversion of 10, that placed Curt Spalding and David Stremme on the front row. Spalding jumped out to the early race lead with Stremme in tow. While the two front row starters battled, another war was waging behind them between Jason Hughes and Kyle Strickler.

With five laps to go, Strickler managed to get up to third to battle with Stremme, but by then Spalding was long gone, and the 48-year-old went on to win his first career DIRTcar Nationals Feature. Stremme was second as Strickler, Hughes and four-time defending DIRTcar Nationals Champion and current points leader Nick Hoffman completed the top five.

The second feature showcased the drivers in points positions 41-60. Christian Thomas and NASCAR Gander R.V. & Outdoors Truck Series competitor Sheldon Creed led the field to the green flag. Thomas paced the field in the opening laps with Creed trailing.

Austin Holcombe joined the battle, but that was short-lived as he spun on lap six to bring out the caution. On the restart, Thomas pulled away, but this time Lucas Lee worked his way up to second trying to mount a challenge at the race leader.

Thomas wasn’t to be denied though as the 24-year-old led all 15 laps to score his first DIRTcar Nationals Feature win. Lee settled for second as Gary Bentley charged from starting 14th to finish on the podium in third, Steve Stevenson and Michael Tarlton, from 11th, were the top five.

In the third feature, for drivers 61st in points on back, Larry Mott and Percy Gendreau started on the front row of their main event, and before a lap was completed a massive pileup occurred in turns one and two. Everyone was able to drive away and continue.

On the restart, Gendreau took the race lead with Bryce Nichols in tow. As the two drivers battled, former NASCAR Cup Series driver David Reutimann, who started deep in the field in 15th and only competing in his second night this week, charged his way toward the front, and a three-way battle ensued.

Nichols took the lead away from Gendreau on lap seven only to lose it three laps later, with five to go, to Reutimann, who would keep his No. 00 Blue Gator Tiki Bar & Restaurant / Beak-Built Chassis ride out front en route to his first victory in the DIRTcar Nationals. Nichols settled for second, with Jesse Rupe, Robert Poole from 16th and Jerry Foster completing the top five.

The final feature of the night was for the drivers currently positioned in 21-40th in DIRTcar Nationals points.

NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Ohio State Champion Todd Sherman and Spencer Hughes started on the front row. Before a lap was completed, a massive pileup ensued in turn four. Just like in the previous feature, everyone was able to pull away.

On the restart, Hughes beat Sherman to the first corner to grab the lead. Jason Beaulieu, who started sixth, charged his way up to third. After getting to second, he set his sights on Hughes. As the halfway point was reached, Beaulieu drove by Hughes to take the race lead.

From there, the 50-year-old who has travel to the DIRTcar Nationals 3,475 miles, one-way, from Campbell River, British Columbia would reach a milestone after coming to Volusia since 2011 and finally garnered that coveted first Gator Trophy.

Hughes hung on for second over Ray Bollinger as three-time and defending NASCAR Gander R.V. & Outdoors Truck Series Champion Matt Crafton and 15-year-old Hunt Gossum, who started 13th, were the top five.

The finishes:

Feature #1 (15 Laps) – 1. 5-Curt Spalding [1]; 2. 35-David Stremme [2]; 3. 8KS-Kyle Strickler [9]; 4. 12H-Jason Hughes [3]; 5. 2-Nick Hoffman [10]; 6. 36-Kenny Wallace [4]; 7. 7JA-Justin Allgaier [14]; 8. 25-Tyler Nicely [17]; 9. 23-Ryan Cripe [5]; 10. 96M-Mike McKinney [12]; 11. K19-Will Krup [18]; 12. 7A-Shane Sabraski [15]; 13. 49-Brian Ruhlman [6]; 14. 2A-Donnie Moran [13]; 15. 67-Garret Stewart [16]; 16. 17TE-Tyler Evans [19]; 17. 7-Drake Troutman [20]; 18. 18L-Michael Long [8]; 19. 95-Michael Altobelli [11]; 20. 24-Zeke McKenzie [7]

Feature #2 (15 Laps) – 1. 90-Jason Beaulieu [6]; 2. 11H-Spencer Hughes [2]; 3. 77-Ray Bollinger [3]; 4. 88-Matt Crafton [5]; 5. 99-Hunt Gossum [13]; 6. 24D-Travis Dickson [19]; 7. 99M-Mike Mullen [8]; 8. 75-Terry Phillips [10]; 9. 45J-Johnny Broking [14]; 10. 6A-Ryan Ayers [17]; 11. 52-Colin Green [18]; 12. 19-Chad Bauer [11]; 13. 65-Todd Sherman [1]; 14. 3L-Jeff Leka [9]; 15. 22-Dale Kelley [4]; 16. 21-Taylor Cook [15]; 17. 12-Jason Gross [20]; 18. 1M-Curt Myers [7]; 19. 2J-Troy Johnson [12]; 20. O5-Dave Wietholder [16]

Feature #3 (15 Laps) – 1. 7CT-Christian Thomas [1]; 2. 12L-Lucas Lee [5]; 3. A1-Gary Bentley [14]; 4. 8-Steve Stevenson [3]; 5. 17T-Michael Tarlton [11]; 6. 31G-Stephen Pedulla [9]; 7. 1-Brenden Rassel [8]; 8. 100-Scott Fritz [12]; 9. 22T-Tony Anderson [16]; 10. 8A-Austin Holcombe [7]; 11. 17-Rob Pitcher [19]; 12. 4UW-Bobby Regot [18]; 13. 71L-Dennis Lunger [17]; 14. 97-Mitch Thomas [4]; 15. OO-Buzzie Reutimann [15]; 16. 11Z-Zane Oedewaldt [20]; 17. 11N-Gene Nicholas [13]; 18. 7F-Bryan Foy [10]; 19. 11M-Mike McGee [6]; 20. 9-Sheldon Creed [2]

Feature #4 (15 Laps) – 1. OOD-David Reutimann [15]; 2. O1-Bryce Nichols [5]; 3. 11-Jesse Rupe [8]; 4. 25P-Robert Poole [16]; 5. 5F-Jerry Foster [7]; 6. Z1-Zac Oedewaldt [11]; 7. 14J-John Baker [9]; 8. 9PG-Percy Gendreau [2]; 9. 61-Eric Hill [17]; 10. 6-Ryan Fowler [12]; 11. 27-William Cevaal [18]; 12. O7-Curtis King [10]; 13. 32-Chad Roush [13]; 14. Z06-Larry Mott [1]; 15. 89W-Rick Weitekamp [4]; 16. 15-Rick Potter [14]; 17. 40-Shawn Reiss [19]; 18. 1S-Brian Shaw [6]; 19. 96-Cole Parker [3]

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Ford Performance Racing School has partnered with Stewart-Haas Racing to become a primary sponsor of its No. 98 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry with driver Chase Briscoe.

The No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang will debut Feb. 21-22 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and will be seen 15 more times as Briscoe competes for the Xfinity Series championship after winning rookie-of-the-year honors in 2019. The 25-year-old driver from Mitchell, Ind., is a two-time Xfinity Series race winner and the 2016 ARCA Menards Series champion.

“The word performance is more than just a name when it comes to Ford,” said Briscoe, who drives a magnetic gray Ford F-150 Raptor when he’s not wheeling his No. 98 Ford Mustang in the Xfinity Series. “The success Ford has earned on the racetrack has gone directly into the development of its road cars, and its line of Ford Performance vehicles is the best of the best. The Ford Performance Racing School is an extension of that, providing Ford Performance vehicle owners the knowledge and skills to get the most from their car, truck or SUV.”

Ford Performance Racing School is the only school to wear the Ford oval, and Ford is the only full-line vehicle manufacturer to offer product-focused experiential driving programs exclusively to the owners of its complete line of performance vehicles, from cars to trucks to SUVs.

“When you have a racing school featuring the latest Ford Mustang GTs, there’s no better way to market our performance driving instruction than with a professional driver who races Mustangs,” said Dan McKeever, president, Ford Performance Racing School. “Chase Briscoe speaks the same language as our customers and demonstrates the capabilities of his racecar in every race he enters. His knowledge of how to operate his Ford Mustang didn’t happen overnight. It came with instruction and repetition, giving him confidence and understanding of his car’s features. That’s what we do for attendees of the Ford Performance Racing School, whether it’s with a new Ford Mustang on the racetrack or a Ford F-150 Raptor on the trails.”

Established in 2006, Ford Performance Racing School operates out of two venues – a dedicated off-road complex in Tooele, Utah, for the Raptor Assault owner program and an at-track operation at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. There, a fleet of Ford Mustang GTs modified with Ford Performance Parts is used for the high-performance driving school, while Fiesta STs, Mustang Shelby GT350s and GT500s are available for their respective track-based owner programs. Each regional facility has a satellite operation featuring Ford Performance SUVs, with locations in Park City, Utah, and Asheville, North Carolina.

Editor's note: This is a repurposed roundtable from October 2018 with updated answers from our team as Ovechkin closes in on 700 goals.

We're officially locked in on 700 watch for Alex Ovechkin, the longtime goal-scoring legend for the Washington Capitals. Currently sitting at 698 goals for his career, and 40 on this 2019-20 season, Ovi is No. 8 on the all-time list.

Ovechkin's scoring started immediately, as he scored twice in his debut on Oct. 5, 2005. Along the way, he has notched 26 hat tricks and 10 seasons of at least 40 goals. And now the Russian winger is riding a hot streak of 14 goals in his past seven games.

At just 34 years old and looking to join the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, Brett Hull, Marcel Dionne, Phil Esposito and Mike Gartner in the elite 700 club, we were left wondering if The Great 8 is already the greatest scorer the NHL has ever seen. So we dove into the numbers and asked our NHL experts whom they consider to be the top lamp-lighter of all time.

Who is the NHL's greatest goal scorer in history?

Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer: Yes, the best goal scorer in NHL history is Ovechkin. This is something observable, as teams have had over a decade to defend his shot, only to find it virtually undefendable. This is something quantifiable, as Ovechkin has 698 career goals at 34 years of age. Barring injury, this is another 50-goal season for Ovi. It's potentially a 60-goal season, which has never been accomplished by a player his age -- for all the greatness of Gretzky, his last 60-goal season was at 26 years old. If Ovechkin reaches 60 goals, he'll have passed both Gartner (708) and Esposito (717) for sixth all time in goals scored.

That's the quantifiable argument, and here's the contextual one: Simply put, Ovechkin is doing this in an era with the best athletes in NHL history and against goaltenders who, while not exactly a collection of Dominik Haseks and Martin Brodeurs, have much better technique and refined coaching than the cardboard standups Gretzky used to put pucks behind. (Not to diminish Gretzky's ability, mind you, but comparing the training modern goalies have with those in the 1980s is like comparing a laser surgeon with a house call doc treating you with a bag of leeches.)

Provided he remains healthy -- and the Russian Machine rarely breaks -- we're witnessing the best chance to see someone shatter Gretzky's record, after Mario Lemieux lost his to his body and Jagr lost his to lockouts and the lure of KHL riches. It's undeniable now that Ovechkin has a shot at breaking Gretzky's goals record of 894. He'll need roughly an average of 30 goals per season for six more seasons. Whatever his end total, in Ovechkin we're witnessing the reign of the NHL's most dominant goal scorer ever.

Chris Peters, hockey prospects analyst: I hear you, Greg, but I'm going with Mike Bossy -- with Ovechkin a very close second. I think Ovechkin is probably one of the game's best pure shooters, and I was 3 years old when Bossy retired. But looking at the numbers, what Bossy did is mind-blowing. The fact that he ended up playing only 10 seasons, as a bad back cut his career short, is all that keeps him from being the no-brainer in this discussion.

Bossy topped 50 goals in every season but his last, and he topped 60 five times. He's the NHL's all-time leader in goals per game (minimum 300 games played) and had a career shooting percentage of an absurd 21.2%, fourth highest in NHL history. Yes, goalies were stopping pucks at a far lower rate in Bossy's prime, but he was special even by that era's standards. One wonders what would have happened had he stayed healthy for longer.

You can make arguments that Bossy's lack of longevity either disproportionately helps his case or hurts it, with his unrivaled per-game rates taking the place of still-great but maybe not eye-popping raw numbers. That's one thing that I think gets undersold about Ovechkin -- just how durable he has been, which probably should be part of the discussion in what has made him so special. The fact that Ovi remains a 50-goal scorer into his mid-30s further complicates the comparisons since Bossy didn't make it past his age-30 season.

Greg's point on the current era of goaltending is well taken too. I think that plays a huge role in the overall discussion and definitely puts Ovechkin among the absolute elites of this sport. I just think if Bossy were able to continue playing, there would have been a really good chance Gretzky would have been chasing Bossy, not Howe, when The Great One was going for the all-time goal-scoring record.

Emily Kaplan, national NHL writer: Do I have this right? We're discussing the greatest NHL goal scorers ever, and nobody picked the guy who is No. 1 on the all-time list? The player we literally call The Great One? This is easy, guys. Should Ovechkin pass Gretzky, I'll re-open discussion. For now, though, Gretzky is the answer. He has 894 career goals, 93 more than anybody else. And Howe, who is second on the list, played 290 more games than Gretzky.

Sure, Gretzky played in a different era than Ovi, where goals were easier to come by, but he could play only to the constraints of the time. You can't hold it against him. And if we're going to bring up the improvement of goalies, we should also mention that sticks today have far more advanced technology than in the 1980s and 1990s. Bossy and Pavel Bure both have better goals per game rates, but Gretzky's career was nearly twice as long as both of those guys.

And if we're talking greater impact, Gretzky transformed the complexion of every franchise he played for. His name is synonymous with hockey -- whether you are a hockey fan, or not, you just know.

Ben Arledge, NHL editor: Yes, it's Ovechkin. The man is not yet 35 years old and will soon be one of eight players to have 700 goals for his career. The numbers speak for themselves there. But I think it's actually pretty close, and the guy for me who gives him a run for the money isn't Gretzky or Bossy or Lemieux. It's a guy who sits tied for No. 69 on the all-time goals list.

If you look strictly at goals per game, Bure is fifth all time in the NHL at 0.623, just ahead of Ovechkin (0.614). Watching highlights of Bure's dominant 12-season run in the NHL, he was playing at a level all by himself. Nicknamed the Russian Rocket, he had Connor McDavid's speed, Ovechkin's shot and Patrick Kane's handles. Thrice leading the NHL in scoring, Bure had two 60-goal campaigns and three additional 50-plus seasons. Even in the Dead Puck era, he compiled 437 goals but was held to barely 700 career games -- over 400 fewer than Ovechkin has played -- while battling knee injuries for most of his career.

If he had been able to stay healthy, who knows where he'd be on the all-time goals list. And really, if you think I'm silly even mentioning him, go watch some highlights and remind yourself of Bure's insane ability to light the lamp in the 1990s. Because it truly was something special.

All that said, Bure is of course edged out in my book by Ovi. He actually does a lot of the same things that made Bure so unstoppable, but he has been doing it longer and against the most technically sound goaltending hockey has ever seen. There is no defending him from the left circle, and there is no defending him as he drives to the net. His strength, on top of the ridiculous speed, soft hands and an absolute hammer of a shot, is what separates him. Bure went around you. Ovechkin will go around you or through you, whatever it takes to get into a position to score. And once he's there, there's no one who finishes better than him.

Like Bure, he didn't do it in the '80s, when teams were scoring nearly four goals per game. There's a reason Ovechkin still potted 51 in his age-33 season, and it's no shocker that he has 40 in 53 games this season. Plain and simple, you are watching the greatest ever at finding the back of the net.

Andres Iniesta lifted his first trophy of 2020 on Saturday but the Japanese Super Cup final will be remembered more for Vissel Kobe and Yokohama F Marinos missing nine consecutive spot kicks in the deciding penalty shootout that Kobe eventually won 3-2.

The game between the defending champions, Yokohama, and Emperor's Cup holders, Kobe, is the traditional curtain-raiser to the Japanese season though coaches will hope it does not set the scene for the standard of penalties for the months to come.

A thrilling game finished 3-3 in normal time, as Yokohama came from behind three times. Douglas opened the scoring for Kobe before Marcos Junior levelled on 36 minutes; Kyogo Furuhasi put Iniesta's side 2-1 up before half-time but after the break, Takahiro Ogihara levelled once again.

Hotaru Yamaguchi struck with 21 minutes remaining to put Kobe 3-2 ahead but Erik Lima hit back for Yokohama four minutes later to level the score and send the game into an unforgettable penalty shootout to decide the destination of the trophy.

Iniesta scored Kobe's first penalty but when the scores reached 2-2, fans at Saitama Stadium watched in disbelief as nine players, including Iniesta's former Barcelona teammate Thomas Vermaelen, either missed the target or saw their shots saved.

Edigar Junio of Yokohama was denied by Kobe goalkeeper Hiroki Iikura; Keijiro Ogawa hit the post and Kota Mizunuma blasted over. Then Daigo Nishi, Ken Matsubara, Leo Osaki, Takuya Wada, Vermaelen and Keito Endo all failed.

Eventually, Yamaguchi stepped up to smash the ball past Park Il-gyu and into the Yokohama net to hand Kobe the trophy.

"I think that it was an exciting match for the fans," Iniesta said afterwards. "Both teams created a lot of opportunities but we were able to win. You never know what is going to happen with a penalty shootout and it was a bit crazy but, in the end, we were happy to get the victory against a good team.

"I am looking forward to the new season and I think it will be a good one."

The 2020 J.League season kicks off on Feb. 21.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has denied claims from Gareth Bale's agent that he is unable to train five days a week because of concerns over his persistent injury problems.

Zidane has left the Wales forward out of the matchday squad in recent weeks -- including for last weekend's Madrid derby -- despite being fully fit and available for selection.

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Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett told Spanish newspaper AS that the forward "has had a lot of injuries and he is worried about them. He can only train so much, not five days a week. It's got to be handled properly."

Ahead of Madrid's La Liga game with Osasuna on Sunday, Zidane replied to Barnett's comments in a news conference and said: "Yes, he is able to [train].

"In fact, if we count, he's trained five times this week. So yes he can."

Club sources have told ESPN that there is no truth to reports that Zidane feels Bale lacks intensity in training. They said the player was left out of the squad for the derby with Atletico Madrid and the Copa del Rey quarterfinal with Real Sociedad for purely technical reasons, and that if needed, he will play.

"There is no solution because there is no problem," Zidane said. "It doesn't mean anything that he hasn't been in the last two squads. It might seem like there's a problem but there is no problem, on the contrary. I know Gareth is going to give us something until the end of the season."

He added: "He could be in the squad [tomorrow], because he's a player who is ready to play. As always, you'll see, I'm not going to confirm it because that's how we do it and I won't change. But he's fine."

Bale has faced regular criticism in the Spanish media for leaving the Bernabeu before full time when not involved in the squad, as he did in the 82nd minute of their 4-3 defeat to Real Sociedad on Thursday.

"No, I don't think [it's a lack of respect]," Zidane added. "The important thing is that he wants to be here, he wants to be with us, to train, to fight."

Madrid visit Osasuna as league leaders and three points clear of rivals Barcelona, and their Copa del Rey exit was their first loss since October.

"[What was said] stays in the dressing room," Zidane said. "We've spoken, we're not happy with the game, we've all analysed it and the good thing is we play again tomorrow and we can go back to what we were doing.

"We won't throw out everything we've done until now because of one game."