diff --git a/handwritten/spanner/src/metrics/interceptor.ts b/handwritten/spanner/src/metrics/interceptor.ts
index c3ec57acfd4..ebc11160785 100644
--- a/handwritten/spanner/src/metrics/interceptor.ts
+++ b/handwritten/spanner/src/metrics/interceptor.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+// Copyright 2025 Google LLC
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -48,7 +48,11 @@ export const MetricInterceptor = (options, nextCall) => {
           // GFE/AFE latency if available,
           // or else increase the GFE/AFE connectivity error count
           if (metricsTracer) {
-            const serverTimingHeader = metadata.getMap()['server-timing'];
+            const serverTimingEntries = metadata.get('server-timing');
+            const serverTimingHeader =
+              serverTimingEntries.length > 0
+                ? String(serverTimingEntries[0])
+                : undefined;
             const gfeTiming =
               metricsTracer?.extractGfeLatency(serverTimingHeader);
             metricsTracer.gfeLatency = gfeTiming ?? null;
diff --git a/handwritten/spanner/test/metrics/interceptor.ts b/handwritten/spanner/test/metrics/interceptor.ts
index b28dd95bbfc..b164edb8a02 100644
--- a/handwritten/spanner/test/metrics/interceptor.ts
+++ b/handwritten/spanner/test/metrics/interceptor.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+// Copyright 2025 Google LLC
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -214,5 +214,18 @@ describe('MetricInterceptor', () => {
         Status.OK,
       );
     });
+
+    it('reads server-timing header using metadata.get without calling metadata.getMap', () => {
+      const getMapSpy = sandbox.spy(serverTimingMetadata, 'getMap');
+      const getSpy = sandbox.spy(serverTimingMetadata, 'get');
+      const interceptingCall = MetricInterceptor(mockOptions, mockNextCall);
+      interceptingCall.start(testMetadata, mockListener);
+
+      capturedListener.onReceiveMetadata(serverTimingMetadata);
+
+      assert.strictEqual(getMapSpy.callCount, 0);
+      assert.strictEqual(getSpy.calledWith('server-timing'), true);
+      assert.strictEqual(mockMetricsTracer.extractGfeLatency.calledOnce, true);
+    });
   });
 });