NEW YORK — Women’s tennis has a new world No. 1.Elena Rybakina took the top spot from Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday at the U.S. Open with a quarterfinal win over China’s Zheng Qinwen, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. It is her first time at the summit of women’s tennis.Born in Moscow but representing Kazakhstan, Rybakina, 27, has been a top-five player for years but inched towards tennis’ apex earlier this season after winning the Australian Open to claim her second Grand Slam title. She won the Stuttgart Tennis Grand Prix on clay in April and owns the second-most wins on the WTA tour this year with 47, following Jessica Pegula’s 50.Rybakina was a mostly steady force in a season of relative shakiness at the top of the tour’s leaderboard.After she won the year’s first Grand Slam in January, the major-title winners club admitted two new members as the old — well, older — guard looked on. Mirra Andreeva won the French Open at 19, and Linda Nosková won Wimbledon at 21.If Sabalenka does not win the U.S. Open, she will log her first year since 2022 without a Grand Slam title. Coco Gauff, who faces Andreeva in the last women’s quarterfinal Wednesday, could win her third major championship. World No. 3 Pegula is still searching for her first Grand Slam title after spending years as one of the most consistent players at the top of the game. Iga Świątek, the most decorated champion in the group with six majors, is headed toward the end of a trying year that included a coaching change and a loss to Zheng in the fourth round of the U.S. Open.