1996 WTA German Open – Singles
# 1996 WTA German Open – Singles

Steffi Graf defeated Karina Habšudová in the final, 4–6, 6–2, 7–5 to win the singles tennis title at the 1996 WTA German Open.

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Elena Likhovtseva.

## Seeds

A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. The top eight seeds received a bye to the second round.

* Steffi Graf (champion)
* Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (quarterfinals)
* Iva Majoli (semifinals)
* Anke Huber (quarterfinals)
* Mary Pierce (third round)
* Amanda Coetzer (second round)
* Barbara Paulus (quarterfinals)
* Natasha Zvereva (second round)
* Martina Hingis (second round)
* Nathalie Tauziat (quarterfinals)
* Ai Sugiyama (first round)
* Judith Wiesner (third round)
* Naoko Sawamatsu (third round)
* Yayuk Basuki (third round)
* Sabine Hack (third round)
* Sandrine Testud (second round)

## Draw

### Key

* Q = Qualifier
* WC = Wild card
* LL = Lucky loser
* Alt = Alternate
* SE = Special exempt
* PR = Protected ranking
* ITF = ITF entry
* JE = Junior exempt
* w/o = Walkover
* r = Retired
* d = Defaulted
* SR = Special ranking

### Finals

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| WC/1 | Steffi Graf | 7 | 6 | | | | | |
| 3 | Iva Majoli | 5 | 1 | | | | | |
| 3 | Iva Majoli | 5 | 1 | WC/1 | Steffi Graf | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| | | | | | Karina Habšudová | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| | Karina Habšudová | 6 | 7 | | Karina Habšudová | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| | Elena Likhovtseva | 1 | 6 | | | | | |

### Top half

**Section 1**

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | WC/1 | S Graf | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | M Weingärtner | 6 | 2 | 2 | | T Whitlinger-Jones | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | T Whitlinger-Jones | 4 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | WC/1 | S Graf | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| Q | Á Montolio | 5 | 3 | | | | | | | 14 | Y Basuki | 2 | 1 | | | | |
| | T Ječmenica | 7 | 6 | | | T Ječmenica | 1 | r | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Grzybowska | 3 | 6 | 5 | 14 | Y Basuki | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Y Basuki | 6 | 1 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | WC/1 | S Graf | 6 | 7 |
| 10 | N Tauziat | 7 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | 10 | N Tauziat | 1 | 5 |
| | E Makarova | 5 | 5 | | 10 | N Tauziat | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | R Grande | 6 | 2 | 2 | | A Smashnova | 4 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Smashnova | 4 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | 10 | N Tauziat | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | J Kandarr | 5 | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | J Kandarr | 3 | 4 | | | | |
| | A Grossman | 7 | 6 | 4 | | J Kandarr | 7 | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 6 | A Coetzer | 6 | 6 | 3 | | | | | | | | |

**Section 2**

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | 3 | I Majoli | 1 | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Å Carlsson | 6 | 6 | | | Å Carlsson | 6 | 5 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Cacic | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | I Majoli | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | N Arendt | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | 15 | S Hack | 2 | 4 | | | | | |
| WC | S Klösel | 6 | 6 | | WC | S Klösel | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | A Glass | 2 | 4 | | 15 | S Hack | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 15 | S Hack | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | I Majoli | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| 12 | J Wiesner | 4 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 7 | B Paulus | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| | K Boogert | 6 | 4 | 2 | 12 | J Wiesner | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | R Zrubáková | 2 | 6 | 0 | Q | S Dopfer | 6 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | S Dopfer | 6 | 0 | 6 | | | | | | 12 | J Wiesner | 3 | 4 | | | | | |
| | K Nowak | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 7 | B Paulus | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | C Singer | 3 | 4 | | | K Nowak | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 7 | B Paulus | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Bottom half

**Section 3**

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | 5 | M Pierce | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | B Rittner | 6 | 6 | | | B Rittner | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | B Fulco-Villella | 4 | 2 | | | | | | | 5 | M Pierce | 7 | 2 | 6 | | | | |
| | K Habšudová | 7 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | K Habšudová | 6 | 6 | 7 | | | | |
| | B Schett | 6 | 6 | 4 | | K Habšudová | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | J Watanabe | 3 | 0 | | 9 | M Hingis | 3 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | M Hingis | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | K Habšudová | 6 | 6 |
| 13 | N Sawamatsu | 6 | 5 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | A Huber | 4 | 1 |
| | V Ruano-Pascual | 4 | 7 | 3 | 13 | N Sawamatsu | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | P Begerow | 6 | 7 | | | P Begerow | 4 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | F Labat | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | 13 | N Sawamatsu | 0 | 1 | | | | | |
| | L Lee | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 4 | A Huber | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | L Neiland | 2 | 2 | | | L Lee | 6 | 5 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | A Huber | 3 | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |

**Section 4**

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | | | | | 8 | N Zvereva | 7 | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | R Dragomir | 4 | 6 | 6 | | R Dragomir | 5 | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Temesvári | 6 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | R Dragomir | 3 | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| Q | D Randriantefy | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | E Likhovtseva | 6 | 3 | 7 | | | | | |
| | N Bradtke | 6 | 6 | | | N Bradtke | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | E Likhovtseva | 6 | 6 | | | E Likhovtseva | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | A Sugiyama | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | E Likhovtseva | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| 16 | S Testud | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | A Sánchez Vicario | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| | J Kruger | 1 | 4 | | 16 | S Testud | 6 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | R McQuillan | 4 | 3 | | | L Richterová | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | L Richterová | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | L Richterová | 7 | 3 | 6 | | | | | |
| | M Werdel-Witmeyer | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 2 | A Sánchez Vicario | 6 | 6 | 7 | | | | | |
| | S Meier | 4 | 4 | | | M Werdel-Witmeyer | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | A Sánchez Vicario | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
