# 1997 WTA German Open – Singles

Mary Joe Fernández defeated Mary Pierce in the final, 6–4, 6–2 to win the singles tennis title at the 1997 WTA German Open.
Steffi Graf was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Amanda Coetzer.

## 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 (quarterfinals)
* Jana Novotná (semifinals)
* Lindsay Davenport (second round)
* Conchita Martínez (third round)
* Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (third round)
* Iva Majoli (quarterfinals)
* Amanda Coetzer (semifinals)
* Irina Spîrlea (third round)
* Karina Habšudová (second round)
* Mary Joe Fernández (champion)
* Brenda Schultz-McCarthy (second round)
* Mary Pierce (final)
* Barbara Paulus (first round)
* Judith Wiesner (third round)
* Ruxandra Dragomir (third round)
* Elena Likhovtseva (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

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 7 | Amanda Coetzer | 4 | 4 | | | | |
| 12 | Mary Pierce | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| 12 | Mary Pierce | 6 | 6 | 12 | Mary Pierce | 4 | 2 |
| | | | | 10 | Mary Joe Fernández | 6 | 6 |
| 10 | Mary Joe Fernández | 6 | 6 | 10 | Mary Joe Fernández | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | Jana Novotná | 3 | 1 | | | | |

### 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 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | P Hy-Boulais | 5 | 2 | | C Rubin | 3 | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| | C Rubin | 7 | 6 | | | | | | 1 | S Graf | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | A Fusai | 7 | 6 | | | | | | 15 | R Dragomir | 3 | 2 | | | | |
| | T Tanasugarn | 5 | 3 | | A Fusai | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | N Zvereva | 6 | 2 | 15 | R Dragomir | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 15 | R Dragomir | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | S Graf | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | J Wiesner | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 7 | A Coetzer | 6 | 6 |
| | L Courtois | 0 | 2 | 14 | J Wiesner | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | A-G Sidot | 3 | 4 | | L Savchenko | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| | L Savchenko | 6 | 6 | | | | | | 14 | J Wiesner | 1 | 1 | | | | |
| Q | J Kruger | 1 | 4 | | | | | | 7 | A Coetzer | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | K Studeníková | 6 | 6 | | K Studeníková | 0 | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 7 | A Coetzer | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |

#### 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 |
| | | | | | 4 | C Martínez | 6 | 5 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | S-T Wang | 4 | 3 | | | Y Basuki | 3 | 7 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | Y Basuki | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 4 | C Martínez | 2 | 0 | | | | |
| | J Kandarr | 4 | 2 | | | | | | | 12 | M Pierce | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | S Kleinová | 6 | 6 | | | S Kleinová | 3 | 6 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| WC | E Wagner | 2 | 3 | | 12 | M Pierce | 6 | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | M Pierce | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 12 | M Pierce | 6 | 6 |
| 9 | K Habšudová | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | I Majoli | 1 | 4 |
| WC | S Klösel | 5 | 3 | | 9 | K Habšudová | 4 | 2 | r | | | | | | | | |
| | G Pizzichini | 7 | 4 | 6 | | G Pizzichini | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| | P Suárez | 6 | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | G Pizzichini | 4 | 2 | | | | |
| Q | I Gorrochategui | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 6 | I Majoli | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| Q | W Probst | 4 | 3 | | Q | I Gorrochategui | 3 | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 6 | I Majoli | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |

### 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 | A Sánchez Vicario | 6 | 4 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| | B Schett | 6 | 6 | | | B Schett | 2 | 6 | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| | F Labat | 1 | 0 | | | | | | | 5 | A Sánchez Vicario | 6 | 0 | 3 | | | | |
| | A Kournikova | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | A Kournikova | 3 | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| Q | S Plischke | 2 | 2 | | | A Kournikova | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Gerši | 7 | 6 | 6 | | A Gerši | 0 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | B Paulus | 5 | 7 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | A Kournikova | 1 | 4 |
| 10 | M J Fernández | 6 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 10 | M J Fernández | 6 | 6 |
| | F Perfetti | 4 | 6 | 1 | 10 | M J Fernández | 6 | 1 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | M Sánchez Lorenzo | 6 | 4 | 6 | Q | M Sánchez Lorenzo | 4 | 6 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | H Nagyová | 2 | 6 | 3 | | | | | | 10 | M J Fernández | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | S Testud | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | S Testud | 2 | 2 | | | | | |
| | A Sugiyama | 2 | 1 | | | S Testud | 7 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 3 | L Davenport | 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 | Quarterfinals |
| | | | | | 8 | I Spîrlea | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| LL | M Serna | 2 | 6 | | Q | T Panova | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | T Panova | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | 8 | I Spîrlea | 6 | 6 | 3 | | | | | |
| | S Appelmans | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | S Appelmans | 7 | 2 | 6 | | | | | |
| Q | E Makarova | 2 | 6 | | | S Appelmans | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | P Schnyder | 1 | 4 | | 11 | B Schultz-McCarthy | 0 | r | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | B Schultz-McCarthy | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | S Appelmans | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | E Likhovtseva | 1 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | J Novotná | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Q | E Martincová | 6 | 6 | | Q | E Martincová | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | N Tauziat | 6 | 6 | 6 | | N Tauziat | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | A Glass | 7 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | N Tauziat | 0 | 2 | | | | | | |
| | B Rittner | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 2 | J Novotná | 6 | 6 | | | | | | |
| | E Callens | 1 | 0 | | | B Rittner | 4 | 6 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | J Novotná | 6 | 2 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |