Elite athletes and professional gamers may have higher than average visual temporal resolution, scientists say

If you have wondered why your partner always beats you at tennis or one child always crushes the other at Fortnite, it seems there is more to it than pure physical ability.

Some people are effectively able to see more “images per second” than others, research suggests, meaning they’re innately better at spotting or tracking fast-moving objects such as tennis balls.

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• Italian beats Bulgarian 6-3, 6-1 in one-sided final
• Title win sees Sinner rise to No 2 in rankings

In the hours after Jannik Sinner’s Australian Open triumph , the Italian was still digesting his life-changing achievement as he spoke with the media. Most players in his position may have just allowed themselves a second to relax and enjoy the moment, but even with the trophy still in his hands, Sinner was already thinking of the future: “I know that I have to work even harder, because the opponents, they will find the way to beat me and I have to be prepared,” he said.

It has come as no surprise, then, that Sinner has only used his first major title as a springboard to greater heights and he continues to perform at an astounding, consistent level. Sinner closed off his immaculate early hardcourt season by completely outplaying Grigor Dimitrov, the 11th seed, easily winning 6-3, 6-1 to clinch his second Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open.

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• Murray ruptured his ankle ligaments at the Miami Open
• 36-year-old pulls out of Monte Carlo and Munich events

Andy Murray has withdrawn from the early stages of the European clay court season and he continues to weigh up his options as he faces a race against time to be fit for Wimbledon after tearing his ankle ligaments at the Miami Open last weekend.

In his final year on tour, Murray had seemingly planned to embark on his longest clay season since his hip problems began, competing at all the big venues one last time. He has now withdrawn from the Monte Carlo Masters, which begins in just over a week on 7 April and the Munich ATP 250 event, which starts on 15 April.

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• Top seed and Indian Wells champion shocked in last eight
• ‘Sometimes simplicity is genius,’ says Bulgarian victor

Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes for a Sunshine Double came undone in spectacular fashion after the top seed lost 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday to Grigor Dimitrov, who will move on to face Alexander Zverev in the Miami Open semi-finals.

Dimitrov, the 11th seed, won 77% of his first-serve points compared to just 56% for Alcaraz. He also won four of the five break points he faced and broke the Spaniard four times during the 92-minute encounter.

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How closely have you been paying attention to sporting matters over the last seven days? Let’s find out, shall we …

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• Fourth seed beats Belarusian 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (2)
• Alexander Zverev into men’s semi-finals

The fourth seed, Elena Rybakina, overcame a second-set meltdown to beat Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (2) on Thursday and secure a return trip to the Miami Open final.

Rybakina, the highest seed remaining in the women’s draw, won nearly 82% of her first-serve points but converted only two of her 11 break-point chances en route to securing victory in two hours 33 minutes.

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After Angella Okutoyi’s triumph at the African Games, there is hope the sport can break new ground on the continent

As the tennis competition at the African Games in Accra reached the semi-final stage last week, Kenya’s Angella Okutoyi entered uncharted territory. Across the net from the world No 532 stood Mayar Sherif of Egypt, an elite player ranked No 70. With a potential Olympic spot on the line for the tournament winner, the stakes were stratospheric. Over four hours later, incredibly, Okutoyi, 20, emerged with a 5‑7, 7-5, 7-6 (5) win before leaving Ghana with a gold medal.

In Okutoyi’s short career, making history has become a regular occurrence. In 2022, she became the first Kenyan to win a match at a junior grand slam tournament, the Australian Open , which she followed up by winning the Wimbledon 2022 girls’ doubles title alongside Rose Marie Nijkamp of the Netherlands. Her hopes and dreams on the professional circuit reflect one of the most pressing questions in elite tennis: can the sport provide a pathway for black African tennis players to reach the top?

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• ‘Goran and I decided to stop working together a few days ago’
• Serbian one grand slam away from record for singles player

Novak Djokovic has revealed that he has split from coach Goran Ivanisevic.

The partnership was hugely successful, with Djokovic enjoying the most dominant period of his career through his early and mid-30s. Ivanisevic became the Serbian’s main coach in March 2022, having previously worked alongside Djokovic’s long-time mentor Marian Vajda for several years.

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• No 27 seed beats Putintseva in three sets to keep title hopes alive
• Sinner and Alcaraz enjoy straight-sets wins to make quarters

Victoria Azarenka kept her hopes of a fourth Miami Open title alive as she reached the semi-finals with a hard-earned victory over Yulia Putintseva. While in the men’s draw Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz both marched into the quarter-finals.

The No 27 seed Azarenka, who won the tournament in 2009, 2011 and 2016 Miami Open, laboured for just under three hours as she battled past her Kazakhstani opponent 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-3. The 34-year-old saved three set points at 5-4 down in the opening set, then failed to convert two of her own before she held her nerve in the tie-break with some decisive forehands.

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