Jiří Novák was the defending champion but lost in the semifinals to Kenneth Carlsen.
Jonas Björkman won in the final 7–6(7–0), 6–0 against Carlsen.
Seeds A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.
Marcelo Ríos (quarterfinals) n/a Alberto Berasategui (second round) Àlex Corretja (first round) Hernán Gumy (quarterfinals) Chris Woodruff (second round) Greg Rusedski (first round) Martin Damm (first round)
Draw
External links 1997 BellSouth Open draw