​Kasper Ruud (Hawks) won his match against Grigor Dimitrov (Kites) at the World Tennis League, but the Norwegian was booed by his own team for not following the script that would have brought qualification to the final of the competition.

Kasper Ruud, booed by his colleagues for the score in the match with Grigor Dimitrov

The strange format of the tournament in Abu Dhabi offered Ruud only one way out to get tickets to the grand final.

Casper won 6-4 and his team won 20-19, but needed as many points as possible to reach the final act. In the event of a tiebreaker, the total score would be 21-21 and a shootout would take place, giving the winner three more points.

At the end of the match, Ruud was booed by his teammates and tried to explain what “didn’t work out”: “I had a chance to win this set, so I tried to do it. Most of the time my lapel doesn’t work, but at match ball it did, so I was a bit lucky – or should I say unlucky.’

Iga Sviatek (Captain of the Hawks) said that “Unfortunately Kasper won” and then chided the Norwegian: “All you had to do was win 7-6 and then go to the tie-break.” Ruud’s response came quickly: “You can’t go too far before the women get upset.”

also on Saturday Sorana Kirstea she teamed up with Vera Zvonavera (lost to Mirra Andreeva/Sofia Kenin, 6-4) and then lost to Sofia Kenin in singles (6-4).

World Tennis League, rating:

1. Aerial snakes (79-72) / 79 points

2. Eagles (75-73) / 75

3. Falcons (75-79) / 75

4. Hawks (72-77) / 72 (would have been 76 if Ruud had managed to stick to the script).

The “Air Snakes” and “Eagles” teams will meet in the grand final on Sunday, starting at 1:00 p.m.

World Tennis League, four teams

The tournament invited 16 of the best ATP and WTA players, who were divided into four teams.

Hawks: Iga Sviatek (1 WTA), Caroline Garcia (20 WTA), Kasper Ruud (11 ATP), Hubert Gurkach (9 ATP)

Falcons: Sumit Nagal (138 ATP), Taylor Fritz (10 ATP), Sorana Kirstea (26 WTA)Olena Rybakina (4 WTA)

Eagles: Daniil Medvedev (3 ATP), Andriy Rublev (5 ATP), Mirra Andreeva (57 WTA), Sofia Kenin (33 WTA)

kites: Grigor Dimitrov (14 ATP), Lloyd Harris (140 ATP), Aryna Sabalenko (2 WTA), Paula Badosa (64 WTA).

World Tennis League, competition schedule

Dec. 21: Hawks vs. Falcons 24-27 and Kites vs. Eagles 27-22

Dec. 22: Falcons vs. Snakes 30-33 and Eagles vs. Hawks 31-28

December 23: Eagles vs. Falcons 22-18 and Kites vs. Hawks 20-19

December 24: Grand Final: Kites v Eagles (1pm)

Organizers of the competition in the United Arab Emirates say that it is “not just a tennis tournament, but a global phenomenon that is redefining the world of sports and entertainment year after year.”

After the concert in Abu Dhabi, the best artists will perform: 50 Cent (December 21), Akon & Ne-Yo (December 22), UB40, The Original Wailers and The Trojan Sound System (December 23).