In the tennis Open Era (current era), who was the first person to qualify and win a Grand Slam singles title?

Emma Raducanu (born 13 November 2002) is a British professional tennis player. After her win in the 2021 US Open she reached a career-high Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranking of world No. 22 and is the current British No. 1. Raducanu is the reigning US Open champion, and the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Virginia Wade in the 1977 Wimbledon Championships. She is considered a baseline player, known for her powerful, flat groundstrokes, and aggressive return of serve.

In late June 2021, Raducanu made her main draw Grand Slam debut on a wildcard to the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. She advanced to the fourth round, becoming, at 18 years and 239 days old, the youngest British woman to reach the last 16 in the Open Era. The Open Era is the current era of professional tennis. It began in 1968 when the Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete with amateurs.

At the US Open, Raducanu beat Bibiane Schoofs, Mariam Bolkvadze, and Mayar Sherif in straight sets in qualifying to enter the main draw. There, she beat Stefanie Vögele, Zhang Shuai, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Shelby Rogers, Belinda Bencic, and Maria Sakkari to reach the final, without dropping a set. Raducanu defeated Leylah Fernandez in the final and won the title without dropping a set. Raducanu was the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam tournament in the Open Era, and the first woman in the Open Era to win the second major tournament she had entered.