SESTRIERE, Italy (AP) — Petra Vlhová led after the opening run of a World Cup giant slalom on Saturday as she searched for her first win of the season.
The Slovakian skier posted a time of one minute, 12.30 seconds in Sestriere to take a slender advantage of 0.07 over Italy’s Marta Bassino, who had opened the race. Tessa Worley of France was third, 0.40 slower than Vlhová.
Four other skiers were within a second of Vlhová — Mikaela Shiffrin, Ragnhild Mowinckel, Sara Hector and Federica Brignone.
World champion Lara Gut-Behrami, who won the only other grand slalom of the season, was eighth, 1.12 behind Vlhová.
The 27-year-old Vlhová won the slalom title last season — as well as Olympic gold — but finished second in the overall standings to Shiffrin. Vlhová won the overall title the previous year.
Shiffrin leads the overall standings after winning the two season-opening slalom races. Vlhová finished third in both.
Neither finished on the podium in the slalom or the GS in Killington, Vermont, and both opted out of the speed races in Lake Louise in Canada last weekend.