We introduce the algorithm for the direct phase estimation from the single noisy interferometric pattern. The method, named implicit smoothing spline (ISS), can be regarded as a formal generalization of the smoothing spline interpolation for the case when the interpolated data is given implicitly. We derive the necessary equations, discuss the properties of the method and address its application for the direct estimation of the continuous phase in both classical interferometry and digital speckle pattern interferometry (DSPI). The numerical illustrations of the algorithm performance are provided to corroborate the high quality of the results.