# 1996 Bausch & Lomb Championships – Singles

Conchita Martínez was the defending champion but lost in the quarterfinals to Mary Pierce.
Irina Spîrlea won in the final 6–7, 6–4, 6–3 against Pierce.

## 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.
* Conchita Martínez (quarterfinals)
* Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (semifinals)
* Magdalena Maleeva (second round)
* Chanda Rubin (third round)
* n/a
* Mary Joe Fernández (semifinals)
* Mary Pierce (final)
* Irina Spîrlea (champion)
* n/a
* Åsa Carlsson (first round)
* Lindsay Lee (first round)
* Sabine Hack (quarterfinals)
* Meredith McGrath (quarterfinals)
* Silvia Farina (first round)
* Elena Makarova (second round)
* Ruxandra Dragomir (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 |
| 7 | Mary Pierce | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| 6 | Mary Joe Fernández | 2 | 4 | | | | | |
| 6 | Mary Joe Fernández | 2 | 4 | 7 | Mary Pierce | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| | | | | 8 | Irina Spîrlea | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 8 | Irina Spîrlea | 6 | 7 | 8 | Irina Spîrlea | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 1 | 5 | | | | | |

### 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 | Quarterfinals |
| | | | | | 1 | C Martínez | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Cecchini | 2 | 3 | | | A Temesvári | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Temesvári | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 1 | C Martínez | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| | K Nowak | 3 | 1 | | | | | | | | J Husárová | 0 | 0 | | | | | |
| | J Husárová | 6 | 6 | | | J Husárová | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | N Medvedeva | 2 | 4 | | Q | N Medvedeva | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | S Farina | 6 | 2 | r | | | | | | | | | | 1 | C Martínez | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| 10 | Å Carlsson | 2 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | M Pierce | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| | L Richterová | 6 | 7 | | | L Richterová | 6 | 0 | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
| Q | F Zuluaga | 1 | 4 | | | A Miller | 4 | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Miller | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | A Miller | 3 | 1 | | | | | |
| | S Pitkowski | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 7 | M Pierce | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
| LL | D Krajčovičová | 1 | 1 | | | S Pitkowski | 3 | 6 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 7 | M Pierce | 6 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |

#### Section 2

| First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | | 4 | C Rubin | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Q | C Cristea | 6 | 6 | Q | C Cristea | 1 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| | B Rittner | 3 | 3 | | | | | 4 | C Rubin | 1 | 0 | | | | |
| | M-J Gaidano | 1 | 3 | | | | | 12 | S Hack | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | A Dechaume-Balleret | 6 | 6 | | A Dechaume-Balleret | 1 | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| | A Serra Zanetti | 4 | 0 | 12 | S Hack | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | S Hack | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | 12 | S Hack | 4 | 3 |
| 16 | R Dragomir | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | 6 | M J Fernández | 6 | 6 |
| | T Whitlinger-Jones | 2 | 0 | 16 | R Dragomir | 5 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Q | F Li | 6 | 2 | Q | P Suárez | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Q | P Suárez | 7 | 6 | | | | | Q | P Suárez | 6 | 3 | | | | |
| | R Zrubáková | 7 | 6 | | | | | 6 | M J Fernández | 7 | 6 | | | | |
| | N Arendt | 5 | 3 | | R Zrubáková | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | 6 | M J Fernández | 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 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | | | 8 | I Spîrlea | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Cacic | 4 | 1 | | | P Hy-Boulais | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | P Hy-Boulais | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 8 | I Spîrlea | 7 | 6 | | | | |
| | L Ghirardi | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | V Ruano-Pascual | 5 | 0 | | | | |
| | G Helgeson-Nielsen | 6 | 1 | | | L Ghirardi | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | V Ruano-Pascual | 6 | 6 | | | V Ruano-Pascual | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| LL | G León García | 4 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 8 | I Spîrlea | 7 | 6 |
| 15 | E Makarova | 4 | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | B Schett | 6 | 2 |
| | S Stafford | 6 | 1 | 5 | 15 | E Makarova | 5 | 7 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| | V Martinek | 5 | | | | V Martinek | 7 | 5 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| WC | V Williams | 3 | r | | | | | | | | V Martinek | 2 | 3 | | | | |
| | S Meier | 6 | 4 | 3 | | | | | | | B Schett | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | B Schett | 4 | 6 | 6 | | B Schett | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 3 | M Maleeva | 1 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |

#### 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 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
| | | | | | LL | W Probst | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | A Fusai | 5 | 1 | | | L Neiland | 5 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | L Neiland | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | LL | W Probst | 2 | 1 | | | | |
| WC | K Rinaldi-Stunkel | 6 | 6 | 7 | | | | | | 13 | M McGrath | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | P Schwarz | 7 | 2 | 6 | WC | K Rinaldi-Stunkel | 6 | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| | J Kandarr | 4 | 3 | | 13 | M McGrath | 1 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | M McGrath | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 13 | M McGrath | 3 | 4 |
| 11 | L Lee | 0 | 7 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | 2 | A Sánchez Vicario | 6 | 6 |
| WC | K Maleeva | 6 | 6 | 6 | WC | K Maleeva | 4 | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| Q | M Paz | 6 | 2 | | | T Ječmenica | 6 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | T Ječmenica | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | T Ječmenica | 3 | 4 | | | | |
| Q | L Golarsa | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | 2 | A Sánchez Vicario | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| Q | C Papadáki | 6 | 6 | | Q | C Papadáki | 0 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | A Sánchez Vicario | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |