Petr Korda was the defending champion, but he was eliminated in the third round by Todd Martin.<br>Yevgeny Kafelnikov won the title, defeating Thomas Enqvist in the final, 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 7–6. With this win, Kafelnikov became the first Russian (male or female) to win the Australian Open.
Kafelnikov played 5 rounds against Thomas Enqvist to become the champion of the Australian Open.
The statment is incorrect because Kafelnikov played in 4 rounds against Thomas Enqvist to win the Australian Open and become the new champion.