Magdalena Maleeva was the defending champion but lost in the second round to Jennifer Capriati.
Jana Novotná won in the final 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 against Capriati.
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 (semifinals) Jana Novotná (champion) Lindsay Davenport (quarterfinals) Iva Majoli (second round) Martina Hingis (semifinals) Mary Joe Fernández (second round) Brenda Schultz-McCarthy (quarterfinals) Magdalena Maleeva (second round)
Draw
Final
Section 1
Section 2
External links 1996 Ameritech Cup Draw