Johanna Larsson

2.1. Childhood and Tennis Beginnings

Johanna Larsson was born on 17 August 1988, in Boden, Sweden, and later resided in Helsingborg, Sweden. She began playing tennis at the age of five. Larsson is right-handed and employs a two-handed backhand. She stands at 5.7 ft ^{(1.74 m)} tall and weighs 146 lb ^{(66 kg)}.

2.2. Professional Debut and Early Years (2006-2009)

Larsson turned professional in 2006. She started her international tennis career on the ITF Junior Circuit, achieving a career-high junior ranking of No. 79 in September 2006. In 2005, while still a junior, Larsson made a significant impact during the Fed Cup, where she defeated Anna Kremer, Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, and Joanna Sakowicz. This performance led to her being awarded a wildcard entry into a WTA Tour event in Stockholm, where she defeated Kristina Barrois in three sets before narrowly losing to Sweden's top-ranked player, Sofia Arvidsson.

Towards the end of 2006, Larsson suffered a hamstring injury. She made her comeback in early 2007, primarily competing in the United States and securing a $10k title in Falkenberg for two consecutive seasons. She returned to the Fed Cup in 2007, contributing to Sweden's ninth-place finish by defeating Vojislava Lukić and Naomi Cavaday, both ranked in the top 300, despite a loss to Maša Zec Peškirič.

The year 2008 marked a breakthrough for Larsson, as she secured victories in two $25k events in Stockholm and Sutton. She made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open, reaching the second qualifying round. She also advanced to the second qualifying round at Wimbledon and the final qualifying round at the US Open. In September, she won the $75k Shrewsbury doubles event. She concluded the season playing for the Helsingborg team in Swedish team tennis alongside Sofia Arvidsson.

Larsson began 2009 at the Australian Open, where she lost in the first qualifying round. She was part of the 2009 Swedish Fed Cup team with Sofia Arvidsson, Sandra Roma, and Ellen Allgurin, recording a 3-1 singles win-loss record, including a victory over top-70 player Monica Niculescu, and a 2-1 doubles win-loss ratio. Following the Fed Cup, she traveled to South America, qualifying for the main draw of the WTA Tour event in Bogotá before losing to Carla Suárez Navarro. In her subsequent tournament in Acapulco, she retired due to a knee injury while trailing top seed Ágnes Szávay. A series of $25k clay tournaments saw Larsson reach two finals, a semifinal, and a quarterfinal. She then achieved her best singles result to date by winning both the singles and doubles titles at the $50k event in Barnstaple. She followed this with another singles title at the $25k event in Glasgow and reached the final in Istanbul the following week, where she lost to Maret Ani.

3.1. Breakthrough and First WTA Success (2010-2014)

The year 2010 was Larsson's first season within the world's top 100. She started the year playing two $25k events in the United States; in Plantation, she reached the final, defeating top seed Maret Ani en route, but lost to Ajla Tomljanović. In Lutz, she made the quarterfinals before being defeated by Mariana Duque. She maintained an unbeaten record in both singles and doubles across four ties in the Fed Cup, helping Sweden earn promotion to the World Group II playoffs. As an unseeded player, Larsson won the $50k tournament in Biberach and captured her tenth ITF singles title in Clearwater, Florida.

Larsson made her major main-draw debut at the 2010 French Open, defeating Anastasija Sevastova in the first round before falling to Akgul Amanmuradova in the second. After Roland Garros, she reached the final of the $100k Open de Marseille, where she lost to Klára Zakopalová, but won the doubles title with Yvonne Meusburger. She later fell in the first qualifying round at Wimbledon. Larsson then lost in the first round of the 2010 Swedish Open to Renata Voráčová. At the 2010 ECM Prague Open, she reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal after the withdrawal of top seed Lucie Šafářová, but was defeated by Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová. Larsson continued her form at the 2010 Banka Koper Slovenia Open, defeating eighth-seeded Sofia Arvidsson and Maria Elena Camerin. In the quarterfinals, she upset third seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and then Ksenia Pervak to reach her first WTA Tour final, where she lost to Anna Chakvetadze in straight sets. Following this tournament, she achieved a new career-high ranking of world No. 66. She competed in the 2010 İstanbul Cup, defeating eighth seed Patty Schnyder in the first round. In Quebec City, she won her first WTA Tour doubles title with Sofia Arvidsson.

Larsson started 2011 with three consecutive first-round losses in Auckland, Hobart, and at the 2011 Australian Open. She also lost in the second round of a $25k event in Stockholm before a resurgence in form saw her reach the semifinals of the 2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel. She defeated Li Na in the second round in Miami before losing to Alexandra Dulgheru. Leading up to the French Open, she made a semifinal appearance in Estoril, losing to Kristina Barrois. At the 2011 French Open, she notably defeated former French Open Champion Ana Ivanovic in three sets, but lost in the second round to Ekaterina Makarova. At the 2011 Swedish Open, Larsson defeated Alla Kudryavtseva, Vera Dushevina, and Lourdes Domínguez Lino, reaching her second WTA Tour final, which she lost to eighth seed Polona Hercog in straight sets. She concluded the year with first-round exits at Wimbledon and the 2011 US Open.

In 2012, Larsson's season began similarly to 2011, with first-round losses in her initial three events. She held a 3-6 win-loss record between the tournaments of Memphis and Estoril. Her first quarterfinal of the year occurred in Strasbourg, where she lost to Francesca Schiavone. A second quarterfinal was recorded two tournaments later in Bad Gastein. Following a first-round exit at Wimbledon, Larsson accepted a wildcard into a $100k event, winning the title by defeating the fourth, sixth, and third seeds. She then reached the semifinals of the Sony Swedish Open in Båstad, losing to Mathilde Johansson. Leading up to the US Open, she secured a victory over Marion Bartoli (then ranked 11) in Cincinnati before losing to Li Na. In the final major of the year, she faced Dominika Cibulková, losing in three sets despite winning the first in a tie-break. She finished the year primarily playing qualifying rounds in WTA events in Asia.

Larsson began the 2013 season with a quarterfinal appearance in Auckland, where she defeated Julia Görges in the second round. She lost in the opening major of the season, the 2013 Australian Open, to Jelena Janković. She experienced consecutive first-round losses in Memphis and Acapulco. At Indian Wells, she reached the third round after defeating 24th-ranked Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She struggled in the lead-up to the French Open but again reached the quarterfinals in Strasbourg. She lost to Sorana Cîrstea in the second round of the 2013 French Open.

After the French Open, Larsson's struggles continued, leading to a first-round exit at Wimbledon. A significant improvement in form saw Larsson defeat Mathilde Johansson in Båstad to reach her second final there, the 2013 Swedish Open, where she lost to top seed Serena Williams in straight sets, 4-6, 1-6. Leading up to the US Open, she failed to qualify in three US hardcourt events and lost in the second round of the 2013 US Open for the second consecutive year. In the WTA Challenger event in Ningbo, Larsson reached the semifinals, losing to Bojana Jovanovski. She ended the year with a loss to fellow Swede Arvidsson at the ITF event in Poitiers.

In 2014, Larsson started the year with a second-round finish in Auckland, losing to second seed Ana Ivanovic. She lost in the first round of the 2014 Australian Open to Victoria Azarenka. She then achieved her best-ever indoor result at a WTA Tour event by qualifying for and reaching the second round in Paris. Two first-round losses followed in Rio and Florianpolis. A drop in her ranking meant she played qualifying rounds in both Indian Wells and Miami, failing to qualify for either event. She made a quarterfinal appearance at the ITF event in Osprey and won her 16th ITF doubles title with Kiki Bertens at Cagnes-sur-Mer.

3.2. Major Titles and Peak Performance (2015-2019)

2015 was a landmark year for Johanna Larsson as she won her first WTA Tour singles title at the 2015 Swedish Open in Båstad. In the final, she defeated Mona Barthel with a score of 6-3, 7-6⁽²⁾. She also secured the doubles title at the same event, partnering with Kiki Bertens.

In August 2016, Larsson participated in her first Olympic Games at the Rio Olympics, but was defeated in the first round of the singles event by Alizé Cornet of France, with a score of 1-6, 6-2, 3-6.

Larsson enjoyed significant success in doubles, particularly with her partner Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands, with whom she won nine WTA Tour doubles titles. Their partnership led them to the quarterfinals of major tournaments, including the 2015 Australian Open and the 2016 French Open.
In 2017, Larsson qualified for the prestigious WTA Finals for the first time, partnering with Kiki Bertens. They reached the final in Singapore after upsetting fourth seeds Barty and Dellacqua and second seeds Vesnina and Makarova. Despite their strong run, they were defeated in the final by the pair of Tímea Babos and Andrea Hlaváčková with a score of 6-4, 4-6, [5-10].

In 2018, Larsson secured her second WTA singles title at the Nuremberg Cup by defeating Alison Riske 7-6⁽⁴⁾, 6-4 in the final. This victory showcased her consistency and ability to perform at a high level.

Larsson continued to achieve notable results in doubles in the later part of her career. At the 2019 French Open, she reached her career-best Grand Slam doubles performance, advancing to the semifinals with her partner Kirsten Flipkens.

7.1. Grand Slam Performance Timeline

7.2. WTA Tour Career Finals

Larsson reached a total of five singles finals and 23 doubles finals on the WTA Tour, winning two singles titles and fourteen doubles titles.