# 1996 Direct Line International Championships – Singles

Nathalie Tauziat was the defending champion but lost in the semifinals to Monica Seles.
Seles won in the final 6–0, 6–2 against Mary Joe Fernández.

## Seeds

A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. The top four seeds received a bye to the second round.
* Monica Seles (champion)
* Conchita Martínez (quarterfinals)
* Jana Novotná (semifinals)
* Chanda Rubin (second round)
* Lindsay Davenport (second round)
* Mary Joe Fernández (final)
* Kimiko Date (first round)
* Mary Pierce (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

### Final

| Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| WC/1 | Monica Seles | 6 | 6 | |
| 6 | Mary Joe Fernández | 0 | 2 | |

### Section 1

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| | | | | | WC/1 | M Seles | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | A Frazier | 4 | 2 | | | M McGrath | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| | M McGrath | 6 | 6 | | | | | | WC/1 | M Seles | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | S Farina | 3 | 3 | | | | | | Q | I Gorrochategui | 3 | 1 | | | | |
| Q | I Gorrochategui | 6 | 6 | | Q | I Gorrochategui | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | L McNeil | 6 | 2 | 6 | | L McNeil | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | K Date | 4 | 6 | 2 | | | | | | | | | WC/1 | M Seles | 6 | 6 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N Tauziat | 4 | 4 |
| | | | | | 4 | C Rubin | 3 | r | | | | | | | | |
| | L Raymond | 3 | 6 | 8 | | L Raymond | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | N Sawamatsu | 6 | 2 | 6 | | | | | | L Raymond | 2 | 0 | | | | |
| | L Wild | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | N Tauziat | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | N Tauziat | 6 | 6 | | | N Tauziat | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | I Spîrlea | 6 | 5 | 6 | | I Spîrlea | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | M Pierce | 0 | 7 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Section 2

| 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 |
| 5 | L Davenport | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | G Fernández | 3 | 1 | 5 | L Davenport | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | N Feber | 1 | 3 | | Y Basuki | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Y Basuki | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | Y Basuki | 6 | 1 | | | | | | |
| LL | K Kschwendt | 3 | 3 | | | | | | 3 | J Novotná | 7 | 6 | | | | | | |
| Q | N Arendt | 6 | 6 | Q | N Arendt | 4 | 6 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 3 | J Novotná | 6 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | J Novotná | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| 6 | M J Fernández | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | M J Fernández | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| | M Werdel-Witmeyer | 2 | 0 | 6 | M J Fernández | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| WC | C Wood | 4 | 3 | | A Sugiyama | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Sugiyama | 6 | 6 | | | | | | 6 | M J Fernández | 2 | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| Q | A Miller | 1 | 6 | | | | | | 2 | C Martínez | 6 | 4 | 4 | | | | | |
| | N Zvereva | 6 | 7 | | N Zvereva | 6 | 6 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 2 | C Martínez | 7 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |