Jimmy Connors was the defending champion but lost in the third round to José Higueras.
José Luis Clerc won in the final 6–3, 6–2 against Guillermo Vilas.
Seeds A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.
Draw
Finals
Top half
Section 1
Section 2
Bottom half
Section 3
Section 4
External links 1981 ATP main draw