Martins Plavins / Edgars Tocs Latvia (7) def. Adrian Gavira / Pablo Herrera Spain (6) 30-32, 17-21, 15-12 (59 minutes)
Edgars Tocs, Latvia - “It was our third match against them this year and all three went to three sets. We lost the first two and we just felt something was missing. They are playing really well this year and we knew it would be hard. First set was very close and the second slipped away from our hands, but we managed to play our game in the third.”
Martins Plavins, Latvia - “They are seeded really high in the world ranking for a reason. The first set was very stressful for us because we had a three-point lead and almost lost it. It was very demanding and both teams were tired in the second, but they managed to play better than us. The third set was a comeback for us and I’m glad we did it because it was very hard after losing the second set.”
Adrian Gavira, Spain – (On losing the first match in Hamburg for the third consecutive year): “It would be nice to start with a victory but unfortunately it was not our day. It was a tough match but a very nice match for the spectators. This is the (World Tour) Finals and we showed why we are here with the best level in the world so we’re happy with the level we’re playing. We have to improve the reception, we didn’t receive very good but we played well on block and defense so we played well inside-out. We will see this afternoon against Netherlands. Nothing is easy here.”