Crossword Genius

Graduate, teetotal, was first to have fought (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

battled

'fought' is the definition.
(battling is a kind of fighting)

'graduate teetotal was first' is the wordplay.
'graduate' becomes 'BA' (someone with a Bachelor of Arts degree).
'teetotal' becomes 'tt' (abbreviation).
'was first' becomes 'led' (to lead is to go first).
'ba'+'tt'+'led'='BATTLED'

'to have' is the link.

(Another definition for battled that I've seen is " Fought".)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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