# 1986 U.S. Clay Court Championships – Women's singles

Top-seeded Steffi Graf claimed the title and $38,000 prize money by defeating Gabriela Sabatini in the final, after saving one match point.

## Seeds

The top eight seeds received a bye into the second round. A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.
* Steffi Graf (champion)
* Manuela Maleeva (semifinals)
* Gabriela Sabatini (final)
* Kathy Jordan (second round)
* Terry Phelps (quarterfinals)
* Kate Gompert (third round)
* Robin White (quarterfinals)
* Sandra Cecchini (second round)
* Helen Kelesi (third round)
* Ann Henricksson (first round)
* Debbie Spence (third round)
* Anna Ivan (first round)
* Elizabeth Smylie (first round)
* Molly Van Nostrand (first 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

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Steffi Graf | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Terry Phelps | 4 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Terry Phelps | 4 | 3 | 1 | Steffi Graf | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | | | | | Mercedes Paz | 3 | 2 | | | | | |
| | Melissa Gurney | 6 | 3 | | Mercedes Paz | 3 | 2 | | | | | |
| | Mercedes Paz | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Mercedes Paz | 7 | 6 | | | | | 1 | Steffi Graf | 2 | 7 | 6 |
| | | | | | | | | 3 | Gabriela Sabatini | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 7 | Robin White | 1 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Gabriela Sabatini | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 3 | Gabriela Sabatini | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Gabriela Sabatini | 6 | 7 | 3 | Gabriela Sabatini | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | | | | 2 | Manuela Maleeva | 4 | 4 | | | | | |
| | Regina Maršíková | 5 | 2 | 2 | Manuela Maleeva | 4 | 4 | | | | | |
| 2 | Manuela Maleeva | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |

### Top half
#### Section 1

| 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 |
| | | | | 1 | S Graf | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | R Reis | 2 | 1 | | MJ Fernández | 3 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| | MJ Fernández | 6 | 6 | | | | | | 1 | S Graf | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | Y Vermaak | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | Y Vermaak | 0 | 2 | | | | |
| | K Kinney | 3 | 1 | | Y Vermaak | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | P Barg | 7 | 6 | | P Barg | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | A Ivan | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | S Graf | 6 | 6 |
| 10 | A Henricksson | 4 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | 5 | T Phelps | 4 | 3 |
| | C Benjamin | 6 | 6 | | C Benjamin | 1 | 7 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | L Garrone | 7 | 6 | | L Garrone | 6 | 5 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | B Gerken | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | L Garrone | 2 | 2 | | | | |
| | T Mochizuki | 2 | 3 | | | | | | 5 | T Phelps | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | T Scheuer-Larsen | 6 | 6 | | T Scheuer-Larsen | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 5 | T Phelps | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |

#### Section 2

| First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | | 4 | K Jordan | 6 | 6 | 5 | | | | | | |
| | M Gurney | 6 | 6 | | M Gurney | 7 | 3 | 7 | | | | | | |
| | A Smith | 4 | 3 | | | | | | M Gurney | 6 | 6 | | | |
| Q | P Vásquez | 6 | 6 | | | | | | P Casale | 2 | 4 | | | |
| | J Klitch | 1 | 0 | Q | P Vásquez | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | P Casale | 6 | 6 | | P Casale | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | |
| 14 | M Van Nostrand | 2 | 1 | | | | | | | | | M Gurney | 6 | 3 |
| | L Gildemeister | 4 | 2 | | | | | | | | | M Paz | 7 | 6 |
| | V Nelson-Dunbar | 6 | 6 | | V Nelson-Dunbar | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | M L Piatek | 4 | 4 | | L-A Thompson | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | |
| | L-A Thompson | 6 | 6 | | | | | | L-A Thompson | 5 | 2 | | | |
| Q | C Nozzoli | 2 | 0 | | | | | | M Paz | 7 | 6 | | | |
| | M Paz | 6 | 6 | | M Paz | 4 | 7 | 6 | | | | | | |
| | | | | 8 | S Cecchini | 6 | 5 | 1 | | | | | | |

### 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 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | | | 7 | R White | 4 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | A Holton | 1 | 5 | | Q | G Dinu | 6 | 4 | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| Q | G Dinu | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | 7 | R White | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| Q | H Cioffi | 5 | 4 | | | | | | | Q | E Reinach | 1 | 4 | | | | |
| Q | E Reinach | 7 | 6 | | Q | E Reinach | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| | J Mundel | 6 | 5 | 6 | | J Mundel | 3 | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | E Smylie | 3 | 7 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | 7 | R White | 1 | 5 |
| 11 | D Spence | 5 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 3 | G Sabatini | 6 | 7 |
| | M Lindström | 7 | 4 | 2 | 11 | D Spence | 7 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | C Fernandez | 6 | 6 | | | G Fernández | 5 | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| | G Fernández | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | 11 | D Spence | 5 | 2 | | | | |
| Q | J Forman | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | 3 | G Sabatini | 7 | 6 | | | | |
| | S Foltz | 6 | 6 | | | S Foltz | 1 | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 3 | G Sabatini | 6 | 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 |
| | | | | | 6 | K Gompert | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | L McNeil | 7 | 6 | | | L McNeil | 0 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | L Antonoplis | 5 | 2 | | | | | | | 6 | K Gompert | 6 | 2 | 6 | | | | |
| | G Kim | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | R Maršíková | 1 | 6 | 7 | | | | |
| | J Russell | 4 | 5 | | | G Kim | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | R Maršíková | 4 | 6 | 6 | | R Maršíková | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Sloane | 6 | 0 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | R Maršíková | 5 | 2 |
| 9 | H Kelesi | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | M Maleeva | 7 | 6 |
| | S Amiach | 2 | 2 | | 9 | H Kelesi | 6 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Torres | 7 | 6 | | | M Torres | 7 | 2 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | C MacGregor | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | 9 | H Kelesi | 3 | 1 | | | | | |
| | C Suire | 2 | 6 | 4 | | | | | | 2 | M Maleeva | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | A Villagrán | 6 | 0 | 6 | | A Villagrán | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | M Maleeva | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |