title: 1998 Mercedes Cup – Singles
text: # 1998 Mercedes Cup – Singles
  
  The 1998 Mercedes Cup was a men's tennis tournament played on clay courts in Stuttgart, Germany, that was part of the International Series Gold of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the fiftieth edition of the tournament and was held 20 July – 26 July.
  
  ## Seeds
  
  Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.
  
  * Marcelo Ríos (semifinals)
  * Carlos Moyá (quarterfinals)
  * Àlex Corretja (second round)
  * Yevgeny Kafelnikov (second round)
  * Karol Kučera (finale)
  * Albert Costa (quarterfinals)
  * Félix Mantilla (third round)
  * Alberto Berasategui (second round)
  * Cédric Pioline (second round)
  * Thomas Muster (second round)
  * Magnus Gustafsson (third round)
  * Fabrice Santoro (second round)
  * Gustavo Kuerten (champion)
  * Francisco Clavet (third round)
  * Hendrik Dreekmann (second round)
  * Nicolas Escudé (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 | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 1 | Marcelo Ríos | 1 | 7 | 4 | | | | | |
  | 5 | Karol Kučera | 6 | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
  | 5 | Karol Kučera | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | Karol Kučera | 6 | 2 | 4 |
  | | | | | | 13 | Gustavo Kuerten | 4 | 6 | 6 |
  | 13 | Gustavo Kuerten | 7 | 6 | | 13 | Gustavo Kuerten | 4 | 6 | 6 |
  | 2 | Carlos Moyá | 6 | 4 | | | | | | |
  
  ### Top half
  
  **Section 1**
  
  | 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 |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | | | | 1 | M Ríos | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
  | J Knippschild | 3 | 6 | 6 | | J Knippschild | 6 | 2 | | | | | | | | |
  | M Kohlmann | 6 | 3 | 3 | | | | | 1 | M Ríos | 6 | 6 | | | | |
  | H Dreekmann | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | H Dreekmann | 3 | 4 | | | | |
  | M Tillström | 3 | 0 | | | H Dreekmann | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | 15 | M Larsson | 4 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | M Ríos | 6 | 6 |
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | B Becker | 2 | 0 |
  | | | | | 9 | C Pioline | 6 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
  | B Becker | 6 | 7 | | | B Becker | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
  | A Gaudenzi | 1 | 5 | | | | | | | B Becker | 7 | 7 | | | | |
  | R Fromberg | 7 | 6 | | | | | | 7 | F Mantilla | 6 | 5 | | | | |
  | JA Marín | 6 | 1 | | | R Fromberg | 6 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | 7 | F Mantilla | 7 | 7 | | | | | | | | |
  
  **Section 2**
  
  | 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 |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | | | | 4 | Y Kafelnikov | 3 | 6 | 3 | | | | | | | | |
  | B Ulihrach | 7 | 6 | | | B Ulihrach | 6 | 3 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
  | S Grosjean | 5 | 2 | | | | | | | | B Ulihrach | 7 | 6 | | | | |
  | G Blanco | 2 | 7 | 6 | | | | | | 14 | F Clavet | 6 | 2 | | | | |
  | M Safin | 6 | 6 | 2 | | G Blanco | 6 | 5 | | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | 14 | F Clavet | 7 | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | B Ulihrach | 4 | 4 |
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | K Kučera | 6 | 6 |
  | | | | | 11 | M Gustafsson | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
  | T Haas | 7 | 7 | | | T Haas | 3 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
  | M-K Goellner | 6 | 5 | | | | | | | 11 | M Gustafsson | 1 | 3 | | | | |
  | C Doseděl | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 5 | K Kučera | 6 | 6 | | | | |
  | M Rosset | 3 | 4 | | | C Doseděl | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | 5 | K Kučera | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
  
  ### Bottom half
  
  **Section 3**
  
  | 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 |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | | | | 6 | A Costa | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
  | F Squillari | 6 | 3 | 6 | | F Squillari | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
  | N Lapentti | 2 | 6 | 1 | | | | | | 6 | A Costa | 6 | 6 | | | | |
  | A Portas | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | A Portas | 1 | 3 | | | | |
  | T Johansson | 6 | 4 | | | A Portas | 1 | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | 12 | F Santoro | 6 | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6 | A Costa | 5 | 0 |
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13 | G Kuerten | 7 | 6 |
  | | | | | 13 | G Kuerten | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
  | F Meligeni | 3 | 6 | 6 | | F Meligeni | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
  | D Prinosil | 6 | 4 | 4 | | | | | | 13 | G Kuerten | 6 | 6 | | | | |
  | C Costa | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | C Costa | 2 | 4 | | | | |
  | R Vašek | 2 | 0 | | | C Costa | 7 | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | 3 | À Corretja | 6 | 7 | 5 | | | | | | | | |
  
  **Section 4**
  
  | 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 | Third round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | | | | 8 | A Berasategui | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | |
  | G Raoux | 6 | 7 | | | G Raoux | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
  | D Sanguinetti | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | G Raoux | 7 | 3 | 2 | | | | | |
  | F Vicente | 6 | 7 | 4 | | | | | | | F Vicente | 6 | 6 | 6 | | | | | |
  | M Meneschincheri | 7 | 5 | 0R | | F Vicente | 6 | 6 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | 10 | T Muster | 3 | 7 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | F Vicente | 6 | 3 | 2 |
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | C Moyá | 3 | 6 | 6 |
  | | | | | 16 | N Escudé | 6 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
  | D Hrbatý | 6 | 6 | | | D Hrbatý | 2 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
  | M Norman | 3 | 2 | | | | | | | | D Hrbatý | 2 | 2 | | | | | | |
  | J Alonso | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 2 | C Moyá | 6 | 6 | | | | | | |
  | S Bruguera | 4 | 2 | | | J Alonso | 6 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
  | | | | | 2 | C Moyá | 7 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | |
  