Column: Alexander Zverev can’t quite serve up the upset of Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells

This was supposed to be not merely a tennis match but a symbolic passing of the torch from one generation to the next, from feisty but worn-down Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who will be 30 in June, to 18-year-old German phenom Alexander Zverev, who boasts a long reach, 136-mph first serves, “and second serves over 120,” Nadal said, almost in disbelief.

The script was a template with places left to insert the pesky particulars, but little went as expected Wednesday in their round-of-16 match at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Nadal’s passion changed the equation, and so did Zverev’s occasional teenage sulks and glaring inexperience under pressure.

There was no torch passed, no sun setting on a generation. Zverev squandered a match point when he couldn’t get a volley over the net in the ninth game of the third set and let the grunting Nadal grab a 6-7 (8), 6-0, 7-5 victory before an enthralled crowd at Stadium 1.

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But it was more memorable than any figurative passage might have been, because the “old” guy beat a kid whose time surely will come soon but wasn’t ready Wednesday to become a giant killer.

“Is a great victory. I’m very happy about it,” said a spent Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam champion who’s ranked No. 5 in the world. “I am especially happy about the mentality on court, the spirit of fight during the whole match, believing that I can win a match during the whole time, even in the tougher situations.”

If this was supposed to be a lesson for Zverev, a means for him to learn from defeat and use it as a reference later in his career, he wasn’t very receptive. At least not right away.

“Look, in the last three weeks I lost, 7-5, in the third to [Tomas] Berdych, 6-4 in the fifth to Berdych, and 7-5 in the third with match point to Nadal,” he said. “So I know how tough losses feel right now.”

Those are tough, but they’re not the kind of dues Nadal has paid over the years and almost paid again Wednesday.

In a compelling first set that included Zverev complaining to the chair that he was distracted by an overhead remote camera as well as Nadal getting warned for using an audible obscenity, Zverev had him, 5-4, and 30-love but Nadal unleashed some effective forehands to climb back in it and break for 5-5. Zverev eked out the tiebreaker and seemed to be on his way, but he short-circuited in the second set and was steamrolled by Nadal. Chalk that up to immaturity.

“I think I was kind of too happy that I won the first set that I just let the second set kind of slip away,” Zverev said.

Nadal, who acknowledged he found it nearly impossible to return second serves from Zverev that often topped 120 mph, made a subtle but effective adjustment to give himself a chance.

“Second serve I decided to go back three, four meters behind the baseline…. He’s young, ready to take the risks, and if the opponent wants to take the risk on the second serve and he’s having success, it’s difficult to make something, no?” Nadal said. “I decided to go back and tried to put more balls in, and I think worked well. I think I had enough breaks to win the match.”

The third set unfolded with Zverev breaking Nadal for a 2-0 lead and Nadal breaking back to make it 2-1. Zverev had leads of 4-1 and 5-2 before Nadal held for 5-3.

But then came the game and the shot Zverev will replay in his mind for a long time. Leading, 40-30, Zverev came in toward the net and had an easy volley. He plain flubbed it, and he knew it. “I missed probably the easiest shot I had the whole match. That’s what happened,” he said with some irritation in his voice when asked to explain what had transpired.

That was all the opening Nadal needed, and Zverev obliged by hitting a couple of forehands into the net. “Obviously, Rafa played unbelievable after that,” Zverev said.

Nadal, unwilling to give up that symbolic torch just yet, advanced to a quarterfinal match against Kei Nishikori, who defeated the last remaining American, John Isner, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5). “I need to play better than what I did,” Nadal said, “but I’m in the quarterfinals, and that’s great news for me in a very tough tournament like this one.”

Follow Helene Elliott on Twitter @helenenothelen