Gustavo Kuerten defeated Sergi Bruguera in the final, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1997 French Open. It was his first major singles title. He was the first unseeded player since Mats Wilander in 1982 and the second-lowest ranked player ever to win a major, and the first Brazilian man to win a singles major. Following the win, Kuerten jumped in the rankings from world No. 66 to No. 15.