For British tennis fans with very long memories of the women's game it was a familiar sight.

They watched a home player with a heavy forehand serve and volley her way to success at Eastbourne.

The same style of play took Christine Janes to the brink of Wimbledon glory 42 years ago.

Christine Truman, as she was known then, led fellow Brit Angela Mortimer 4-1 in the deciding set of the 1961 final before losing.

On court one at Devonshire Park yesterday she played a different role, that of proud parent.

It was a three-set victory this time for her 25-year-old daughter Amanda.

Janes junior's gutsy 6-0, 5-7, 6-3 triumph over American Samantha Reeves in the third and final round of qualifying secured a shock place in the first round proper of the Hastings Direct Championships.

It must be tough trying to make a name for yourself in the same sport in which mum excelled.

Christine, the most popular player of her generation, won the French Open in 1959. She has been part of the BBC's radio commentary team at Wimbledon for years and returns to the scene of her near-miss next week.

Amanda will not be playing there. She was meant to be trying to qualify at Roehampton today, but her unexpected Eastbourne run has scuppered those plans.

The plus side is a massive boost to her ranking, currently 523, after a remarkable hat-trick of wins in the Sussex showpiece.

Expectations were not high when, having been awarded a wild card for the qualifying competition, Janes was paired against Spanish top seed Magui Serna in the opening round on Saturday.

Christine revealed: "Amanda had one outfit with her and I had one. We were planning to do some shopping on the way home."

Incredibly Serna, the world No. 27 and Eastbourne runner-up to Lindsay Davenport only two years ago, was despatched in straight sets.

Janes followed that up on Sunday by beating American Ansley Cargill, ranked 90, in straight sets again.

Reeves, 112 in the world, proved a tougher nut to crack but Janes prevailed in a fluctuating drama played out over almost two hours in the sapping lunchtime heat.

Christine said: "I am so proud and thrilled for her. She has dreamt of being in the same building as players like Davenport and Capriati.

"She's got the old-fashioned serve and volley game and I think players are surprised by her. She is a bit of an unknown quantity.

"She loves grass. She played in three county weeks here at Eastbourne for Essex and she knows every blade of grass on the courts. She also played here in the Varsity match last year."

Amanda is an Essex girl with a difference. Burdened by comparisons with her mother, she quit tennis for four years to study, gaining an English degree at Cambridge.

"Everybody was comparing her to me and she felt she had to do something else," Christine explained. "I think it was hard to be compared with my record all the time."

The LTA wrote to Amanda, pleading with her to resurrect her tennis career after she performed well in the world student games.

Christine, still active enough to play sedate 100-stroke rallies with her daughter, is pleased she has taken up the challenge although she finds it difficult watching her.

"It's peace of mind giving it a go," Christine said. "At least she cannot say years later if I had done it I would have beaten the Williams sisters."

Amanda, left-handed rather than right-handed like her mother, is making good progress. She started back a year ago with a ranking of 1,025.

"When I arrived here and found out I was playing Serna Keith (Wooldridge), who is in charge of the wild cards, said oh well, it will be good experience.

"I had played Serna before about seven years ago at a satellite event, so I was not as daunted as I might have been, but when you are a set up against the world No. 27 it takes a while to hit home.

"Starting at the bottom again was difficult. I studied really hard in my last year, so I had no real level of fitness.

"I feel this is my last chance to give tennis a go. I used to be ranked 290 and my goal was to get back to that again within a year and play at Wimbledon."

Amanda once lost 7-5 in the final round of qualifying for Wimbledon.

Yesterday's win has put paid to her hopes this year but the consolation is a first round clash against fellow qualifier and hitting partner this week Amy Frazier, with Capriati awaiting the winner.

"No-one would hit with me, being 500 and something," joked Amanda.

"I've hit with her for the past few days and I'm quite happy to be playing her. Anything from now is a bonus."

So too is a guaranteed cheque for around £2,500, enough to clear her bank debts and buy a few of those outfits she is lacking.

Today's order of play (from 11.30am), Centre Court: Raymond (USA) v Maleeva (Bul); Sugiyama (Jpn) v Keothavong (GB); Coetzer (RSA) v Myskina (Rus); Dokic (Yug) v Obata (Jpn).

Court One: Pistolesi (Isr) v Daniilidou (Gre); Dechy (Fra) v Shaughnessy (USA); Janes (GB) v Frazier (USA); Huber (RSA) and Maleeva (Bul) v O'Donoghue (GB) and Pullin (GB). Court Two: Bovina (Rus) v Tanasugarn (Tha); Likhovtseva (Rus) v Talaja (Cro); Dominkovic (Aus) and Stosur (Aus) v Granville (USA) and Stevenson (USA); Likhovtseva (Rus) and Sugiyama (Jpn) v Farina Elia (Ita) and Garbin (Ita).