Bassino was second-quickest on run one of the giant slalom and third-quickest on the second, as she edged the field by 0.11sec.

Sweden's Sara Hector had jumped into the lead with an excellent second run - 1min 16.20sec - which at one point appeared like it would be too much for Bassino to match.

But Bassino did not have to match Hector's second run thanks to a 0.43sec advantage at the midpoint, and while the clock went red on run two, an excellent final sector saw Bassino finish in 1:16.52.

After a first run of 1:12.37, that was enough for victory.

Slovakia's Petra Vlhová was the halfway leader but had to settle for third place.

It is Vlhová's third third-place finish of the season, with the 2020-2021 overall Alpine Ski World Cup champion still waiting for a first win of this campaign.

Home skier Federica Brignone was fourth, France's Tessa Worley fifth and American Mikaela Shiffrin - the defending overall champion - sixth.

This is Bassino's sixth World Cup victory.

All of the Italian's wins have come in giant slalom.

Shiffrin now leads Vlhová by 25 points in the overall standings; 305 plays 280.

A slalom race is scheduled tomorrow - a specialty for both.