# 1996 Dubai Tennis Championships – Singles

Wayne Ferreira was the defending champion and lost in the quarterfinals to Goran Ivanišević.
Ivanišević won in the final 6–4, 6–3 against Albert Costa.

## Seeds

A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.
* Thomas Muster (first round)
* Thomas Enqvist (quarterfinals)
* Jim Courier (first round)
* Goran Ivanišević (champion)
* Wayne Ferreira (quarterfinals)
* Marc Rosset (first round)
* Andriy Medvedev (second round)
* Gilbert Schaller (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
| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | T Muster | 1 | 6 | 6$^0$ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| LL | S Stolle | 6 | 3 | 7$^7$ | LL | S Stolle | 6 | 1 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | A Cherkasov | 5 | 6 | 6 | Q | A Cherkasov | 3 | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | L Jonsson | 7 | 3 | 4 | | | | | | LL | S Stolle | 6 | 5 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| | J Novák | 3 | 6$^1$ | | | | | | | | J Sánchez | 2 | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | J Sánchez | 6 | 7$^7$ | | | J Sánchez | 6 | 4 | 7$^7$ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | F Santoro | 6 | 6 | | WC | F Santoro | 3 | 6 | 6$^5$ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | G Schaller | 3 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | J Sánchez | 6 | 3 | 1 | | | | |
| 3 | J Courier | 5 | 6$^5$ | | | | | | | | | | | | | A Costa | 3 | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | A Berasategui | 7 | 7$^7$ | | | A Berasategui | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Pescosolido | 1 | 6$^5$ | | Q | H J Davids | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | H J Davids | 6 | 7$^7$ | | | | | | | Q | H J Davids | 3 | 6 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | B Karbacher | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | A Costa | 6 | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | D Pescariu | 4 | 4 | | | B Karbacher | 4 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Costa | 1 | 6 | 6 | | A Costa | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | M Rosset | 6 | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Albert Costa | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | W Ferreira | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | Goran Ivanišević | 6 | 6 |
| WC | Y El Aynaoui | 1 | r | | 5 | W Ferreira | 7$^8$ | 6$^4$ | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Gaudenzi | 7$^7$ | 7$^7$ | | | A Gaudenzi | 6$^6$ | 7$^7$ | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | P McEnroe | 6$^3$ | 6$^2$ | | | | | | | 5 | W Ferreira | 2 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Volkov | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | 4 | G Ivanišević | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | K Nováček | 6 | 6 | | WC | K Nováček | 3 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | J Burillo | 3 | 4 | | 4 | G Ivanišević | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | G Ivanišević | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | G Ivanišević | 6 | 7$^8$ | | | | | |
| 7 | A Medvedev | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | D Prinosil | 2 | 6$^6$ | | | | | |
| | B Black | 4 | 1 | | 7 | A Medvedev | 1 | 6$^5$ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Edberg | 7 | 6$^5$ | 4 | | D Prinosil | 6 | 7$^7$ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | D Prinosil | 5 | 7$^7$ | 6 | | | | | | | D Prinosil | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Larsson | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 2 | T Enqvist | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | R Furlan | 2 | 4 | | | M Larsson | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Gustafsson | 1 | 4 | | 2 | T Enqvist | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | T Enqvist | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |