The defending champion broke the third-seeded Ferrer in the first game but a catalogue of errors then undermined his hard work at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center in suburban Minhang District.
Saturday's action concluded under the lights, with No. 2-seeded Kim Clijsters easily beating No. 7 Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-1 in 59 minutes for her third U.S.