Which female tennis player won the 2021 US Open as a qualifier?

Emma Raducanu won the 2021 US Open as a qualifier. She entered the tournament through qualifying, won three qualifying matches and then ten main-draw matches, and defeated Leylah Fernandez 6–4, 6–3 in the final.

Raducanu’s run was historic because she became the first qualifier—male or female—to win a Grand Slam singles title. She did not lose a set during the entire tournament, including qualifying, and she was never taken to a tiebreak. At 18 years old, she became the youngest major champion since Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004.

Her ranking made the achievement even more remarkable. Raducanu was ranked world No. 150 when she won, making her the lowest-ranked player to win a Grand Slam singles title since Kim Clijsters captured the 2009 US Open as an unseeded player. She was also the first British woman to win a singles major since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977.

Leylah Fernandez, another unseeded teenager, reached the final after defeating several highly ranked opponents. That made the 2021 women’s final an unusually youthful and unexpected championship match.