Federica Brignone led the season-closing women's giant slalom at the World Cup finals in Saalbach after Sunday's first run.

The Italian goes into the second run with a 0.48sec lead over Thea Louise Stjernesund of Norway.

Lara Gut-Behrami, who leads the discipline standings, was 1.67sec off the pace in eighth.

Despite her poor first effort on the Austrian slope Gut-Behrami is all but assured of taking the giant slalom title.

If Brignone wins her Swiss rival only has to finish in the top 15 to take the crystal globe.