AFP - Germany's Maria Riesch won the World Cup women's slalom here on Saturday, edging out US rival Lindsey Vonn and Finland's Tanja Poutiainen.

The win was Riesch's sixth in the discipline - her first coming here in 2004 - and 12th career win overall.

Champion in the discpline last season, Riesch was fastest down in the opening leg and held on to post a winning margin of 0.08sec on personal friend but professional foe Vonn.

The American's mistake in the closing stages cost her dear a year after she landed her first slalom win at the venue. She had successfully managed to shrug off a similar slip-up last season.

For now, Vonn is biding her time for the speed events which will begin next month.

Poutiainen heads the early rankings having won last month's season-opener at Solden, Austria.

"I am so happy to have won here as expectations are so high after my successes of last season, both my own expectations but also those of the team and the media," said Riesch, who went on a run of four straight victories last year and also landed gold at the world championships at Val d'Isere.

Poutiainen was happy with her third spot.

"For me, today's podium is as if I had won the race as the ones who came in ahead of me were the ones I had made the favourites," she said.

Austrian Marlies Schild, bronze medalist at the 2006 Turin Games but now on the comeback trail after being sidelined last season with a broken leg, came in sixth.

Nipping in ahead of her was Susanne Riesch, Maria's 21-year-old sister, who scored her best ever finish to date of fourth.

Maria was not at all surprised - and admitted she feared she might have been overshadowed.

"I have to say she dominated in the pre-season training. Two weeks ago she was beating me by 1.5 seconds, two seconds. I really thought she was going to win here," Maria said.

In the end, she came in with a total 1min 48.71 to 1:48.79 for Vonn, 1:49.87 for Poutiainen with her little sister clocking 1:50.04.

Michaela Kirchgasser of Austria was fifth in 1:50.32.