As Angelique Kerber dished out a third-round hammering to Maria Sharapova at the 2018 Australian Open, one interested onlooker from the stands of Rod Laver Arena that night was junior competitor Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

Two years later – to the day – and Italy’s Cocciaretto was back at Rod Laver Arena, not as a spectator this time, but on the opposite side of the net to three-time Grand Slam winner Kerber.

Earlier this month, Cocciaretto, who celebrated her 19th birthday on Saturday, navigated qualifying, defeating Bibiane Schoofs, Francesca di Lorenzo and Tereza Martincova, to secure her maiden appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam.

Despite an enterprising array of shots, world No. 18 Kerber proved a step too far for Cocciaretto, who was facing a Top 20 opponent for the first time in her career, as she succumbed to a 6-2 6-2 first-round defeat.

“When I found out that I was going to be playing during the night session on Rod Laver Arena, I was like ‘oh mamma, oh c****’ – I was so excited,” Cocciaretto told itftennis.com.

“But I prepared like I would for any other match. I wasn’t even thinking about my opponent, just my game, and even though I knew I was about to play in a big stadium, in my mind I was playing on Court No. 14.

“When I was in the stadium though, for the first five or six games I didn’t realise where I was or who I was playing against – it was so odd. After six or seven games, I realised everything and I was okay.

“Two years earlier, I was watching Kerber play Sharapova during the night session on Rod Laver Arena and now I was playing Kerber during the night session on Rod Laver Arena – it was such a strange feeling.”

Junior players across the world could do worse than take note of Cocciaretto’s career. She departed the junior ranks having won just one Grade 1 singles title and with a career-high ranking of No. 12.

Her best result at a Junior Grand Slam, meanwhile, was a semi-final finish at the 2018 Australian Open – days after watching the Kerber-Sharapova clash – as she crashed out to eventual champion Liang En Shuo of Chinese Taipei.

Despite this lack of silverware, a mere 15 months after her last involvement in junior tennis – a second round defeat at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires – she was centre stage in Melbourne.

Since her Argentinian swansong, Cocciaretto has claimed four professional titles, all on clay, including two at W60 level, while she has risen to No. 175 in the world rankings.

“Two years ago, I could not imagine that I would be playing on Rod Laver Arena against a former champion,” said Cocciaretto. “This could happen for any junior player; they have to keep going and keep working hard.

“For me, playing against a great champion like Kerber was a pleasure and sharing the court with her was incredible because from this match I learned many things.

“Although I have much to improve upon, everyone plays good tennis. The difference between me and Kerber was that she was more athletic than me. She also plays the important points well and always does the right thing on court.

“These are the things I have learned from that match. Playing against Kerber was a great experience. In some ways, I was unlucky with the draw. In other ways, I was so lucky because I learned what I need to do to be like her.”

The need to improve her athleticism as part of her overall development is not something which has arisen solely from her battle with Kerber, rather something which the professional ranks have impressed upon Ancona-born Cocciaretto. 

“There have been a lot of ups and downs but one of the things I learned quickly as a pro is the need to be an athlete and to work hard every day to get better and better,” added Cocciaretto, who made her Fed Cup by BNP Paribas debut for Italy against Spain in February 2018.

“The difference between junior and pro tennis is very big. I have lost a lot of matches but, like with Kerber, not due to tennis but for physical and mental reasons.

“During 2020, I hope to break into the Top 100 but to do this I know I have to work hard every day. My coach always says that if I work hard and get better every day then my ranking will get better. Everything will be better if I do everything well.”

As Cocciaretto has already proven, much can happen in a short space of time. Junior players who triumph, fall to agonising defeats or have floundered altogether at the Australian Open this week should be on their guard as they could be under the glare of the Grand Slam spotlight sooner than they might think.