Eight women entered the 2017 U. S. Open with a chance to emerge No. 1 on the WTA Tour. As the tournament heads into the quarterfinals, only two players remain in the hunt—Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova. 

Sunday night, Petra Kvitova defeated Muguruza, who is the front runner in the race to be No. 1. Pliskova beat Jennifer Brady, 6-1, 6-0. Meanwhile, Elina Svitolina fell to Madison Keys removing her from a chance to leave New York at the top.

If Pliskova loses in the quarterfinals, Muguruza winds up No. 1 and that may be the best thing to happen to the WTA since Venus and Serena Williams arrived. 

Of the two players vying for the top spot, only Muguruza has a championship pedigree. A young Grand Slam champion, who is also No. 1, is the WTA's best hope of moving beyond the Williams era.

Muguruza is the player in the best position to usher the WTA from the Williams show into something else, whatever that might be. She brings Grand Slam cred and big-match moxie.  Even after her loss to Kvitova, also a two-time Slam champion, Muguruza leads Svitolina and Pliskova in the race for No. 1.

 According to WTA insider Courtney Nguyen, Svitolina needed to reach the semifinals to have a chance at No.1 while Pliskova has to reach the final.

Unless Pliskova wins the U. S. Open, Muguruza is the player the WTA should want at the top. She may be the best chance for this Tour to redefine itself as something other than the “Williams Tennis Association.” 

The elder Williams sisters will be the sentimental favorite. She's having as good a year as most Top 10 players. But she's not having a better year than Muguruza, who sits atop the 2017 points race. She's the only player to have already qualified for the year-end championships. 

Muguruza is also the only active player outside of Venus, Serena, Sharapova, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, to have Grand Slam titles on more than one surface.

The Spaniard is the only player ever to beat Serena and Venus Williams in a Grand Slam final. To be the best you have to beat the best and the Williams sisters remain No. 1 and No. 2 in most Grand Slams won by an active player. 

That's what the Tour needs, a champion who is also playing top level tennis. Despite being outplayed by Kvitova on Sunday, Muguruza is having the best summer. 

After her loss to Kvitova, Muguruza chalked the defeat up to being outclassed. “I felt like she was superior today. You know, great for her. She played very good,” Muguruza told reporters. 

Muguruza entered the U. S. Open on an 18-2 run, including straight sets dismantling of Venus in the final at Wimbledon. Still far away from dominating the tour, she has the potential to be that young solid front runner the game needs.

Make no mistake, when Serena returns, she'll be considered the favorite, no matter what her ranking. However, as great as she and Venus are, they are at the end of their careers. Kvitova, 27, has plenty tennis left in her, but she's no baby either. Muguruza, 23, Svitolina, 22 and Pliskova, 25, lead the youth movement and the tour is desperate for someone to roll up Slam titles, get on top and stay there a little while. 

Only Muguruza looks the part. Pliskova lacks a Grand Slam championship title and her game leaves plenty to be desired. She's a more tenacious version of John Isner, with only slightly better movement. 

Svitolina has nine WTA titles already and certainly has an all-court game. But her ability to dominate is suspect. No matter how crafty she plays, she's always vulnerable to big hitters. Svitolina is 1-5 against Pliskova, 1-6 against Kvitova, 1-5 versus Serena and now 0-2 against the powerful Keys. 

If Pliskova remains slam-less and walks away with the No. 1 ranking, this could spell trouble for the WTA. 

When she reached No. 1 for the first time, WTA CEO and Chairman Steve Simon tried to make the achievement the end-all be-all. “To be crowned the WTA No.1 player in the world is the ultimate accolade in our sport, and I would like to send my warmest congratulations to Karolina on this incredible achievement,” Simon said. 

Well, that's not exactly true. In tennis, champions are measured by Grand Slam titles. Otherwise, Carolina Wozniacki would be considered one of the greatest players in the past ten years.

The tour went through a stretch when title-less Dinara Safina held the No. 1 spot for weeks in 2009. Wozniacki spent 67 consecutive weeks at No. 1 without winning a Slam. 

In 2013, Serena reclaimed the No. 1 spot and held on until Angelique Kerber wrestled it away last year. That's what the WTA needs, a fight for No. 1 that includes Slam titles.  

Perhaps that's what makes the ATP Tour No. 1 ranking seem more meaningful. It's been a tussle among players with multiple Grand Slam titles. The weakest No. 1 player in years is three-time Grand Slam winner and Olympic gold medalist Andy Murray. 

And at least Murray played his way to the No. 1 ranking, beating Novak Djokovic at the ATP Tour Finals. Pliskova backed into the spot after Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep struggled. Anything less than the No. 1 player also being the newest U. S. Open champion will be a colossal letdown. 

The WTA can't afford another Paper tiger. Paper blows away. True champions seize the moment.  Venus reminded us of this after her fourth-round win. She told the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium that, “Nobody ever gives you a Slam, you’ve got to take it - so I’m going to try and take it. “ 

Pliskova better take that title. Otherwise, leave the top spot to someone who has.