1996 WTA Tour Championships – Singles
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Defending champion Steffi Graf successfully defended her title, defeating Martina Hingis in the final, 6–3, 4–6, 6–0, 4–6, 6–0 to win the singles tennis title at the 1996 WTA Tour Championships. It was her fifth and last Tour Finals singles title.
Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.
- Germany Steffi Graf (champion)
- United States Monica Seles (first round)
- Spain Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (quarterfinals)
- Spain Conchita Martínez (quarterfinals)
- Czech Republic Jana Novotná (semifinals)
- Germany Anke Huber (first round)
- Switzerland Martina Hingis (final)
- United States Lindsay Davenport (quarterfinals)
Draw
Key
- Q = Qualifier
- WC = Wild card
- LL = Lucky loser
- Alt = Alternate
- ITF = ITF entry
- PR = Protected ranking
- SR = Special ranking
- SE = Special exempt
- JE = Junior exempt
- JR = Junior Accelerator Programme entrant
- CO = College Accelerator Programme entrant
- NG = Next Gen Accelerator Program entrant
- w/o = Walkover
- r = Retired
- d = Defaulted
- NB: The Final was the best of 5 sets while all other rounds were the best of 3 sets.
| First round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Germany S Graf | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Slovakia K Habšudová | 1 | 4 | 1 | Germany S Graf | 6 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Austria B Paulus | 3 | 2 | 8 | United States L Davenport | 4 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | United States L Davenport | 6 | 6 | 1 | Germany S Graf | 4 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Spain A Sánchez | 6 | 7 | 5 | Czech Republic J Novotná | 6 | 4 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Netherlands B Schultz-McCarthy | 4 | 6 | 3 | Spain A Sánchez | 0 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Africa A Coetzer | 4 | 1 | 5 | Czech Republic J Novotná | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Czech Republic J Novotná | 6 | 6 | 1 | Germany S Graf | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Germany A Huber | 5 | 2 | 7 | Switzerland M Hingis | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Croatia I Majoli | 7 | 6 | Croatia I Majoli | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Austria J Wiesner | 1 | 6 | 4 | 4 | Spain C Martínez | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Spain C Martínez | 6 | 3 | 6 | Croatia I Majoli | 2 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Switzerland M Hingis | 6 | 6 | 7 | Switzerland M Hingis | 6 | 4 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romania I Spîrlea | 2 | 1 | 7 | Switzerland M Hingis | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Japan K Date | 5 | Japan K Date | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | United States M Seles | 4 | r |