| Singles | |
|---|---|
| 1978 Colgate-Palmolive Masters | |
| Champion |  John McEnroe |
| Runner-up | Arthur Ashe |
| Score | 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 7–5 |
| Draw | 8 |
John McEnroe defeated Arthur Ashe in the final, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 7–5 to win the singles title at the 1978 Colgate-Palmolive Masters. [1] McEnroe saved two match points at 4-5 in the third set. [2]
Jimmy Connors was the defending champion, but lost in the round-robin.
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
| Arthur Ashe | 7 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Brian Gottfried | 5 | 6 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Arthur Ashe | 77 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||||
| John McEnroe | 65 | 6 | 7 | ||||||||||
| John McEnroe | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||
| Eddie Dibbs | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
| McEnroe | Ashe | Connors | Solomon | RR W–L | Set W–L | Game W–L | Standings | ||
| John McEnroe | 6–3, 6–1 | 7–5, 3–0, r | 6–3, 6–2 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 34–14 | 1 | ||
| Arthur Ashe | 3–6, 1–6 | – | 6–1, 6–4 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 16–17 | 2 | ||
| Jimmy Connors | 5–7, 0–3, r | – | 6–1, 6–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 17–13 | 3 | ||
| Harold Solomon | 3–6, 2–6 | 1–6, 4–6 | 1–6, 2–6 | 0–3 | 0–6 | 13–36 | 4 |
Standings are determined by: 1. number of wins; 2. number of matches; 3. in two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 4. in three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; 5. steering-committee decision.
| Gottfried |  Ramírez |  Barazzutti | Dibbs | RR W–L | Set W–L | Game W–L | Standings | ||
| Brian Gottfried | 6–4, 6–1 | 7–6, 6–4 | 6–3, 6–3 | 3–0 | 6–0 | 37–21 | 1 | ||
| Raúl Ramírez | 4–6, 1–6 | 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 | 0–6, 1–6 | 1–2 | 2–5 | 21–37 | 3 | ||
| Corrado Barazzutti | 6–7, 4–6 | 6–3, 3–6, 4–6 | 4–6, 4–6 | 0–3 | 1–6 | 35–40 | 4 | ||
| Eddie Dibbs | 3–6, 3–6 | 6–0, 6–1 | 6–4, 6–4 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 30–21 | 2 |
Standings are determined by: 1. number of wins; 2. number of matches; 3. in two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 4. in three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; 5. steering-committee decision.