Maribor, Slovenia - Tina Maze delighted a Slovenian home crowd on Saturday with victory in a World Cup giant slalom ski race.

Maze, 25, posted the fastest time in the second run for a winning total of 2 minutes 45.15 seconds.

It was her first win of the season, the first in her speciality discipline since October 2005 and a seventh overall in the World Cup. Her last success before Saturday came in a downhill 11 months ago.

First-run leader Denise Karbon of Italy had to settle for second place in 2:45.54 minutes and German Kathrin Hoelzl came third on the podium in 2:46.07 minutes.

Compatriot Maria Riesch retained the overall World Cup lead with a 12th-place finish on 629 points from 14 events. Tanja Poutiainen of Finland is second on 579 and title holder Lindsey Vonn of the US has 566 points for third place.

Poutiainen leads the giant slalom list with 323 points from five races from Austria's Kathrin Zettel (269) and Manuela Moelgg of Italy
(211).

The women's World Cup continues with a slalom in Maribor in Sunday. (dpa)