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LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin's showdown with Tina Maze for the World Cup slalom title on Saturday is yet another highlight in the American teenager's remarkable season.

Shiffrin won slalom gold at the world championships last month, while her Slovenian rival's all-round season is arguably the greatest in 47 years of World Cup racing. Maze marginally leads the slalom standings, but Shiffrin will take home the crystal trophy if she gets a fourth World Cup race win.

Shiffrin set the compelling stage with a Twitter message revealing her relish for the contest. "Tina Maze, I challenge you to a slalom battle of the ages. Lets dance ;)" Shiffrin wrote on Monday, two days before her 18th birthday.

When Shiffrin was last in the U.S. almost four months ago, the average sports fan was likely unaware she had long been tipped as skiing's next great talent. Her career took off on Dec. 20 with her first World Cup win at Are, Sweden.

Now, as a world champion with star status in Alpine skiing's European heartland, the soon-to-be high school graduate will start the 2014 Olympics season as an expected medal contender. Shiffrin acknowledges setting a "lofty" goal last year to become World Cup slalom champion — an accolade impossible to fluke across 11 points-scoring events.

"Now I'm in this position where I really have a chance. I've been managed so well this season to be at this point," she told The Associated Press on Friday. Shiffrin even praises Maze — whose 10 World Cup wins include each speed and technical discipline — for helping raise her performance level

"Her season has been really inspiring to me so I have her to thank for a lot for the energy I have gotten," Shiffrin said. "Seeing her win so much makes me want to win more." That challenge laid down on Twitter revealed a respect that Shiffrin believes is shared.

"She's always been very supportive and a great competitor and so that tweet was like, 'Come on, bring it on' because she's going to, that's the way she is," Shiffrin said. "I'm almost honored to be in the position where if I lose the slalom globe it goes to her."

Separated by just seven points, whoever wins their personal duel will take the title unless both finish outside the top five places. The potential for a dramatic finale almost demands it be decided around high noon Swiss time (1100 GMT) when the first-run leaders come down a second time.

"I mostly just want to feel in the finish like I skied the fastest I can," Shiffrin said. "That's just such an amazing feeling and I get it a lot in training but I haven't gotten it in a race yet this season.

"I ski best when I'm loose and fired up and ready to race." Her U.S. team coach, Roland Pfeifer, believes whatever she achieves is a bonus after the gold medal. "She has won the biggest race of the year in Schladming. She's feeling very comfortable," Pfeifer told the AP on Friday.

Shiffrin trained this week — and celebrated her birthday with her parents, Jeff and Eileen — at Pfeifer's home town of Schruns, Austria. "The hotel put on this really big nice birthday party," she said. "They got a band to come and play, and I didn't know any of this was happening. They brought in a cake for breakfast, a cake for lunch and a bigger cake for dinner.

"I had a great week." The momentum kept rolling on Friday when Shiffrin collected a sponsor's check for 20,000 Swiss francs ($21,300) as the rising star of the women's World Cup circuit. Her season prize money is several times that sum.

Shiffrin's week can peak on Saturday, then there's a season-ending giant slalom on Sunday before she's rewarded with a flight home. "I cannot wait," she said, anticipating home comforts again. "Just to enter the U.S. Even at customs, I'm gonna kiss the floor at customs. I just can't wait to get back there."