Ben Solomon for The New York Times
The handwriting was not only on the wall for Serena Williams in this instance. It was on the check.
Bianca Andreescu, even at age 15 in 2015, knew what she wanted and, above all, what was possible. So back then she wrote herself a personal check for the amount won by the champion of the United States Open.
On Saturday, after beating Williams, 6-3, 7-5, for the title, she got the real deal: prize money of $3.85 million.
“Oh my God,” Andreescu said.
A few hours later, I asked Andreescu if, when she was younger, she had written any checks to herself for winning the other three Grand Slam tournaments: Australian Open, French Open or Wimbledon?